At least 12 people have died and many more injured during a stadium crush at a football match in El Salvador, according to officials from the Central American country.
The first division game between Alianza and Club Deportivo FAS at the Cuscatlan Stadium in the capital of San Salvador was stopped in the 21st minute as authorities attended to supporters. The match was later abandoned.
Luis Alonso Amaya, director of the civil protection of El Salvador, said that 12 people had died with more than 100 taken to hospital.
Images from Getty photographers showed supporters being treated on the pitch.
The National Civil Police described the incident as a stampede and said those injured had been taken to local hospitals.
The general commissioner of the National Civil Police, Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, said his organisation will work with the Attorney General’s Office to conduct a criminal investigation into what happened.
This was confirmed by Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president, who wrote on Twitter that a “thorough investigation” will be conducted.
“Everyone will be investigated,” Bukele said. “Teams, managers, stadium, ticket office, league, federation, etc. Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished.”
Health minister Fancisco Alabi said that men, women and children were being treated with most in a stable condition.
Alianza and FAS were playing the second leg of their Salvadoran Primera Division quarter-final match.
The Salvador Football Federation said in a statement that Sunday’s other matches at national level in the country have been suspended and that there will an urgent meeting of the Sports Venues Security Commission.
(Photo: Getty Images)
