A look at major soccer-related crowd disasters
Oct 1, 2022, 6:35 PM | Updated: Oct 8, 2022, 7:18 am
Police fired tear gas after violence broke out at a soccer match in Indonesia as Persebaya Surabaya beat Arema Malang 3-2. Panic and a rush for the exit left at least 131 dead, most of whom were trampled, police said. Here is a look at some other soccer-related crowd disasters:
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April 5, 1902 — Glasgow, Scotland; 25 killed and 517 injured when the West Stand at Ibrox Park collapses during an international match between England and Scotland. The game ends in a 1-1 draw but is later stricken from official records.
March 9, 1946 — Bolton, England; 33 people killed and more than 400 injured when a wall collapses at Burden Park before an FA Cup match between Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City. The collapse crushes fans together and sparks a stampede.
May 24, 1964 — Lima, Peru; more than 300 people killed and another 500 injured in riots at Estadio Nacional after Argentina beats Peru in an Olympic qualifying match. The pandemonium breaks out when the referee disallows a Peru goal in the final two minutes.
June 23, 1968 — Buenos Aires, Argentina; 74 people killed and more than 150 injured following a game between River Plate and Boca Juniors when fans trying to leave the stadium mistakenly head toward a closed exit and are crushed against the doors by other fans unaware of the closed passageway.
Oct. 20, 1982 — Moscow; 66 people killed in a crush of fans leaving a UEFA Cup match between Spartak Moscow and Dutch club Haarlem at Luzhniki Stadium.
May 29, 1985 — Brussels; 39 people killed in fan violence at the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at Heysel Stadium.
March 12, 1988 — Kathmandu, Nepal; 93 people killed when thousands of soccer fans surge into locked stadium exits to escape a sudden hailstorm.
April 15, 1989 — Sheffield, England; 97 people killed and hundreds injured as the result of a crush of fans at overcrowded Hillsborough Stadium. One victim died in July 2021 of aspiration pneumonia, to which he had been left vulnerable because of injuries from the disaster.
Jan. 13, 1991 — Orkney, South Africa; at least 40 people killed, most of them trampled or crushed along riot-control fences that surround the field, when fans panic and try to escape brawls that break out in the grandstand.
Oct. 16, 1996 — Guatemala City; 84 people killed and 147 injured as panicked fans are crushed and smothered before a World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica.
April 11, 2001 — Johannesburg, South Africa; At least 43 people killed in a crush during a soccer match at Ellis Park.
May 9, 2001 — Accra, Ghana; 126 people killed in a crush after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at fans at the Ohene Djan Stadium at a game between the country’s two biggest teams — Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.
Feb. 1, 2012 — Port Said, Egypt; 74 people killed and more than 500 injured after a match between rivals al-Masry and al-Ahly when thousands of al-Masry fans invaded the field and attacked visiting supporters. The Egyptian league was suspended for two years as a result.
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