The death toll after a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador has risen to at least 12. In addition, around a hundred people were taken to various hospitals in serious condition, said the director of civil protection in the Central American country, Luis Alonso Amaya, on Saturday (local time). The police had previously announced that at least nine people died in the panic at the Cuscatlan stadium in the capital, San Salvador.
The newspaper “La Prensa Grafica” from El Salvador described the scrum on the sidelines of the first division game between FC Alianza and CD FAS as a “human avalanche”. In order to facilitate the work of the rescue workers, the game was canceled.
According to initial information from the police, the panic broke out when fans tried to get into the stadium. Civil Protection Director Amaya said: “It all started in the Sol General sector, where there was a stampede due to the oversale of tickets, affecting 500 people.”