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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 country's government said.
Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS were playing the second leg of their playoff quarter-final game at the Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, the country's capital, when play was suspended after a stampede broke out in the general section.
The venue is one of the largest stadiums in Central America and has an official capacity of more than 44,000 fans.
"The Salvadoran Football Federation deeply regrets the events that occurred at the Cuscatlan Stadium," the organization wrote on Twitter.
"It also expresses solidarity with the relatives of those affected and deceased in this incident."
The federation added that they would immediately request a report on the incident while also suspending the tournament after Saturday's events, calling for a meeting with the Security Commission of Sports Venues on Sunday.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said the National Civil Police and the Attorney General's Office would conduct a "thorough investigation" into the events at the stadium.
"Everyone will be investigated: teams, managers, stadium, box office, league, federation, etc. Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished," Bukele wrote on Twitter.
The incident comes after a deadly stampede last year killed 135 spectators at a stadium in Indonesia's East Java in October. Many were crushed as they fled for exits after police fired tear gas into the crowd.
Borussia Dortmund is deeply saddened by the catastrophe in El Salvador. Several people lost their lives in a mass panic at the Cuscatlán Stadium in the capital San Salvador.
Our thoughts are with all the deceased and their families— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) May 21, 2023
El Real Madrid C. F., su presidente y su Junta Directiva quieren expresar sus condolencias y su cariño a los familiares y seres queridos de los aficionados fallecidos en el estadio Cuscatlán de El Salvador, y el deseo de una pronta recuperación de los afectados por esta tragedia.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) May 21, 2023
Lamentamos la enorme tragedia sucedida en el estadio Cuscatlán en El Salvador y transmitimos nuestro más sentido pésame a los familiares y amigos de las víctimas. Descansen en paz.
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) May 21, 2023
(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath and Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Nelson Renteria in San Salvador, writing by Sarah Kinosian; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
