Americas

At least 12 killed in El Salvador soccer stadium stampede

Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS teams playing quarter-final at Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador at time of incident

The scene at Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, El Salvador, as a stampede there killed at least 12 football fans. Photograph: Milton Flores/AP
The scene at Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, El Salvador, as a stampede there killed at least 12 football fans. Photograph: Milton Flores/AP
Sun May 21 2023 - 07:07

At least 12 people died and an unspecified number were injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador on Saturday, the Central American government tweeted.

On Saturday night, the Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS teams were playing a quarter-final game at the Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, the capital.

Play was suspended after a stampede broke out in the general section of the stadium, a venue with a capacity of more than 44,000 fans.

“The Salvadoran Football Federation deeply regrets the events that occurred at the Cuscatlan Stadium,” the organisation wrote on Twitter. “It also expresses solidarity with the relatives of those affected and deceased in this incident.”

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The tweet added the organisation would immediately request a report on what happened. – Reuters