At least 9 dead in stampede at soccer stadium in El Salvador

At least nine people were killed and dozens more injured when soccer fans piled through one of the entrance gates during a Salvadoran league quarterfinal match on Saturday.

The National Civil Police said in a preliminary report via Twitter that nine deaths were confirmed during the match between the Alianza and FAS clubs at the Monumental Stadium in Cuscatlán, about 25 miles (41 kilometers) northeast of the capital.

The police informed that at least two of the wounded who were taken to the hospital are in serious condition.

Carlos Fuentes, a spokesman for Rescue Commando First Aid, also confirmed the death.

The game was interrupted about 16 minutes into the game when fans in the stands began frantically grabbing the attention of those on the field and pulling the injured out of the tunnel and onto the pitch.

Local television broadcast live footage of the aftermath of the stampede by Alianza fans. Dozens of people went out to the field, where they received medical aid. Fans who escaped the crush stood on the pitch waving their shirts frantically as they tried to watch the people lying on the grass barely moving.

Pedro Hernández, president of El Salvador’s first division soccer team, said initial reports were that the stampede occurred because fans were able to push through the gate into the stadium.

“It was an avalanche of fans that overcame the goal. Some were still tunneling under the metal. Some managed to reach the stands and then the field and suffocated,” an unidentified volunteer of the Rescue Commandos first aid team. told reporters.

“We are going to investigate ticket sales, entrances to the stadium, but especially the southern zone,” where, he said, the gate was left open.

The Salvadoran Football Federation said in its statement that it regrets what happened and expresses support to the families of the victims.