Police chief sacked, 9 others removed from their posts following Indonesia stadium stampede that killed 125
- The police sacked its local chief Ferli Hidayat in Malang after Indonesia’s chief security minister announced a task force to investigate the stampede
- East Java police also removed nine officers on the instruction of the national police force
An Indonesian police chief and nine elite officers were removed from their posts on Monday and 18 others were being investigated for responsibility in the firing of tear gas inside a soccer stadium that set off a stampede, killing at least 125 people, officials said.
Distraught family members were struggling to comprehend the loss of their loved ones, including children, at the match in East Java’s Malang city that was attended only by hometown Arema FC fans. The organiser had banned supporters of the visiting team, Persebaya Surabaya, because of Indonesia’s history of violent soccer rivalries.
The disaster on Saturday night was among the deadliest ever at a sporting event.
Arema players and officials laid wreaths on Monday in front of the stadium.
“We came here as a team asking forgiveness from the families impacted by this tragedy, those who lost their loves ones or the ones still being treated in hospital,” head coach Javier Roca said.
02:32
At least 129 killed, nearly 200 hurt in football stadium riot and stampede in Indonesia
On Monday night, about a thousand soccer fans dressed in black shirts held a candlelight vigil at a soccer stadium in Jakarta’s satellite city of Bekasi to pray for the victims of the disaster.