One hundred and thirty-five are killed in a human crush following a football match at Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java, Indonesia.
Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster
On 1 October 2022, a fatal crowd crush occurred following an association football match at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia. Following a loss by home side Arema to their rivals Persebaya Surabaya, around 3,000 Arema supporters invaded the pitch. Police said that the rioting supporters attacked the players and the team officials. The police attempted to protect the players and stop the riot, but the crowds clashed with security forces. In response, riot police units deployed tear gas, which triggered a stampede of people in the stadium trying to escape the gas. A crush formed at one exit, resulting in fans being asphyxiated.
Crowd collapses and crushes
Crowd collapses and crowd crushes are catastrophic incidents that occur when a body of people becomes dangerously overcrowded. When numbers are up to about five people per square meter, the environment may feel cramped but manageable; when numbers reach between eight and ten people per square meter, individuals become pressed against each other and may be swept along against their will by the motion of the crowd. Under these conditions, the crowd may undergo a progressive collapse where the pressure pushes people off their feet, resulting in people being trampled or crushed by the weight of other people falling on top of them. At even higher densities, the pressure on each individual can cause them to be crushed or asphyxiated while still upright.
Kanjuruhan Stadium
Kanjuruhan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia. It was primarily used for football matches. The stadium held 21,603 spectators. It was the home ground of Arema, a football team in Liga 1, together with Persekam Metro Kabupaten Malang of the Liga 3. It was named after the Kingdom of Kanjuruhan, an 8th-century Hindu kingdom in present-day Malang.
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern and southern coasts, respectively, while the narrow Bali Strait to the east separates Java from Bali by around 2.29 kilometres (1.42 mi). Located in eastern Java, the province also includes the island of Madura, as well as the Kangean islands and other smaller island groups located further east and the Masalembu archipelago to the north. Its capital is Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia, a major industrial center and also a major business center. Banyuwangi is the largest regency in East Java and the largest on the island of Java.