Sam Geylang and thousands of other horrified spectators fled the Malang soccer stadium on Saturday after Indonesian police used tear gas and baton charges, killing at least 125 people.
The 22-year-old, who lost three of his pals in the disaster, told AFP: “It was incredibly frightening and horrible. People were jostling, and many of them were ran over on their approach to the gate.
Women and children among the spectators crammed and trampled one another in a last-ditch effort to flee the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, east of Java.
One of the worst stadium mishaps ever resulted in the death or suffocation of spectators.
The sad sequence of events that followed the final horn, wherein the neighbouring city team “Persibaya Surabaya” defeated the local team 3-2, was described by at least three survivors in unison.
After the game, tens of thousands of supporters flooded the field, some enraged while others shook hands with the Arima FC football players who were competing at their home field.
Fans ran across the stadium while others hurled obscenities at police from the stands and fired smoke canisters.
When the cops attempted to use shields and batons to push him back into the stands, the crowd sprang into action.
The stands in front of departure gates 12 and 13 were then hit by police tear gas canisters.
Although the police reported “riots,” some observers disagreed with this statement.
Donnie, 43, who was in the grandstand, told AFP that “nothing happened and there were no riots.” I’m not sure what happened, but they suddenly started firing tear gas, and what startled me was that they didn’t consider the ladies and children.
As tear gas was fired into the crowd, panic sprang in. Hundreds of people surged in unison toward the gates while some shouted.
Fan Vian, 17, told AFP, “The smoke was everywhere and I panicked.”
The exit was crowded, and I was unsure of what to do or where to go.
He recalls having trouble breathing and hearing screams telling him to run to the emergency exits to the left, but many people perished in these cramped exits.
Some supporters who were able to leave were spotted carrying dead people.
Anger dominated the arena once the tear gas was released. The supporters attacked the police as they attempted to eject the officials by hurling various objects, including stones and plastic bottles.
Police cars and trucks were overturned by fans, who then lit them ablaze.
“The cops were so conceited; they could have just kept the supporters away; the batons were plenty, and there was no need to use tear gas,” claimed Sam Gelang.
Malang city is in mourning. Several families’ loved ones left for the stadium on Sunday and never came back.
“They Didn’t Think About Children,” Survivors Recall Indonesian Horror Scenes
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