The incident occurred in the country’s capital city, San Salvador.
San Salvador, El Salvador:
Nine people were killed Saturday in a stampede at an El Salvador stadium where football fans had gathered to watch a local tournament, police said.
“The number of deaths after the stampede at the Cuscatlan Stadium amounts to nine,” the National Civil Police posted on Twitter.
ACTUALIZACIÓN:
El número de fallecidos tras la estampida en el Estadio Cuscatlán asciende a 9.
Varios aficionados lesionados están siendo trasladados hacia los hospitales cercanos, al menos 2 de ellos en condición crítica.
— PNC El Salvador (@PNCSV) May 21, 2023
The security agency also noted that “several” injured people, including at least two in critical condition, were being taken to nearby hospitals.
The police said initial reports point to a crush of fans who tried to enter the stadium in the Central American country’s capital San Salvador to watch a match between teams Alianza and FAS.
The match was suspended as emergency workers evacuated the attendees.
El Salvador’s Interior Minister Juan Carlos Bidegain said the civil protection service’s first responders were on the scene and attending to people impacted by the incident.
The match was suspended as emergency personnel evacuated people from the stadium, where hundreds of police officers and soldiers gathered as ambulance sirens wailed.
The stampede occurred as people were trying to enter the stadium.
Health Minister Francisco Alabi said the country’s hospital network was “providing medical care to all patients” in the aftermath of the stampede.
The tragedy comes seven months after 135 people including more than 40 children died in a stampede following a football match in Malang, Indonesia.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
