JAKARTA (RVA News): Bishop Henricus Piyyarto Gunawan, Malang Raya, East Java, Indonesia, expressed his solidarity with the families who lost loved ones and others injured in a football stampede at Malang’s Kanjuruhan Stadium on October 1.
The stampede occurred after a soccer match killing at least 174 people and leaving 180 wounded. Tens of thousands of spectators fled the stadium as police sprayed tear gas, a move judged disproportionate by many and the primary cause of the stampede.
“After the conclusion of the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya, the losing team’s supporters entered the field, and police shot tear gas, causing a stampede and cases of suffocation,” East Java Police Chief Inspector General Nico Afinta told reporters. Officials stated that the tragedy occurred when the fans entered the stadium shortly after the game because they could not accept their team’s defeat. Malang, is the home of Arema FC.
Praying for the deceased and injured, Bishop Gunawan earnestly hoped that the catastrophe would serve as a valuable lesson so that it does not occur at the stadium or anywhere in the future.
