One year after deadly fan crush at Indonesia football stadium, families still seek justice
The crowd surge at Kanjuruhan stadium in East Java last year was among the world’s worst sporting tragedies, leaving 135 dead and around 580 injuredIndonesia has convicted 5 of 6 suspects who were charged with negligence but some victims’ relatives say the punishments do not go far enoughIndonesiaAssociated PressPublished: 1:12am, 2 Oct, 2023Why you can trust SCMP
A year has passed slowly for Devi Athok, an Indonesian man whose two teenage daughters died in a crush of fans at a football stadium in East Java last October after police fired tear gas, setting off a panicked run for the exits that left 135 people dead.
The crowd surge in Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang city was among the world’s worst sporting tragedies. Some 43 children died and around 580 people were injured in the incident.
Chaos broke out after Persebaya Surabaya defeated Arema Malang 3-2 in the October 1, 2022 match in front of some 42,000 spectators, prompting police to fire tear gas, including toward the stadium’s stands, causing panic among the crowd.
Athok had bought four tickets for the Saturday night match for his two daughters, his ex-wife and her new husband. His 13-year-old daughter, Naila Debi Anggraini, decided to join her family at the last minute. She died in the crush along with her older sister, 16-year-old Natasya Debi Ramadani, and their mother, Geby Asta Putri, 37.