SAN SALVADOR: At least 12 persons died and an unspecified number were injured in a stampede at a football stadium in El Salvador on Saturday, the country’s government said.
Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS were playing the second leg of their playoff quarter-final game at the Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, the country’s capital, when play was suspended after a stampede broke out in the general section.
The venue is one of the largest stadiums in Central America and has a capacity of more than 44,000 fans.
“The Salvadoran Football Federation deeply regrets the events that occurred at the Cuscatlan Stadium,” the organisation wrote on Twitter.
“It also expresses solidarity with the relatives of those affected and deceased in this incident.” The federation added that they would immediately request a report on the incident while also suspending the tournament after Saturday’s events.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said the National Civil Police and the Attorney General’s Office would conduct a “thorough investigation” into the events at the stadium.
“Everyone will be investigated: teams, managers, stadium, box office, league, federation, etc. Whoever the culprits are, they will be punished,” Bukele wrote on Twitter.