El Salvador experienced its worst sports tragedy on Saturday night with the death of 12 people in a stampede at the Cuscatlán stadium in San Salvador, in which around 100 people were injured.
The Salvadoran government secretary confirmed the death toll. The incidents occurred when fans tried to enter one of the popular areas of the stadium to watch the match between Alianza and Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos (FAS).
After learning the latest information about the deceased, mostly men, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele assured on his Twitter that “a thorough investigation will be carried out”.
“The police and the prosecutor’s office will conduct a thorough investigation of the events that took place at the Cuscatlán stadium. Everyone will be investigated: teams, managers, stadium, treasury, league, federation, etc.,” he announced and added that “whoever is guilty, they will not go unpunished.”
Carlos Fuentes, spokesman for the Comandos de Salvamento, told reporters that about 100 people were transferred to different hospitals, while a total of about 500 were affected.
In a statement, the Football Federation of El Salvador (Fesfut) expressed its regret for the death and added that it “will immediately request a report on what happened and will communicate essential information as soon as possible.”
President of the National Institute of Sports (INDES) and brother of President Bukele, Yamil Bukele, expressed his solidarity with “all the families who lost a loved one today in this sad event”.
“We have called an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Directors of INDES,” which sponsors the Salvadoran Major League tournament, he announced. Salvadoran League teams expressed their condolences on their social networks.
“Today the colors do not exist and for the sake of the sport we all passionately love, we hope it will not happen again,” announced FAS, the visiting team of the match that was finally abandoned.
Luis Ángel Firpo declared that “football is in mourning”. “We join the pain of the Alianza family,” while the Eagle posted: “We join the pain of the Alianza family, our deepest condolences.”
Fesfut announced the suspension of the two matches scheduled for Sunday, which correspond to the second leg of the quarter-finals, and announced an urgent meeting with the Commission for the Safety of Sports Fields.
Source: Panama America
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
