Malang, E Java (ANTARA) - The National Police have denied a Supporter Arema report that the death toll from the October 1, 2022, stampede at Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java's Malang District has exceeded 125.
"The DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) team has identified (all the bodies) in cooperation with the East Java chapter of the Indonesian forensic doctors and hospitals. As of today, the number of people killed is 125. There is no increase," Chief of the Public Relations Division of the National Police Inspector General Dedi Prasetyo said in Malang on Tuesday.
He expressed the hope that the death toll would not increase.
Earlier, Aremania conductor Yuli Sumpil had said that the death toll from the Kanjuruhan tragedy had exceeded 125. In fact, the death toll increased on Monday (October 3) after one more person died.
Sumpil said he believed the death toll would increase further.
He said the death toll of 125 is not proportionate to the condition on the field.
"We are trying to collect (as much) data (as possible) since the supporters who came (to the stadium) were not only from Greater Malang but also from Probolinggo, Blitar, and as far away as Lampung," he informed.
One more supporter died on Tuesday. He was not treated in Malang but was taken to Blitar for treatment shortly after the stampede broke out.
Thousands of Arema FC supporters were left trapped in Kanjuruhan Stadium on Saturday night (October 1) after some supporters stormed the pitch following the team’s 3-2 loss to Persebaya. Police responded with tear gas, which triggered a stampede.
In a press statement issued on Sunday morning, East Java Regional Police Chief Inspector General Nico Afinta said that Arema FC supporters were disappointed by the match’s outcome and so they stormed the pitch looking for players and officials.
According to Afinta, tear gas was fired because the angry supporters could have endangered the football players and officials.
"Because of the tear gas, they rushed to an exit point and triggered a stamped as they suffered shortness of breath, lack of oxygen," he said. (*)
