Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) – Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi has urged everyone to reflect on the tragedy which followed after Arema FC’s match against Persebaya at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java, on the evening of Saturday, which killed at least 129 people.
“Everything must be a (way for) self-reflection. The loss of life due to a football riot like this must be the last one,” the mayor said in his post on Instagram social media @ericahyadi, Sunday.
“As a Bonek (Persebaya supporter), if I may wish to ask and pray, it might be better for Persebaya to lose than having someone lost their life”.
“Once again, if only we prayed that Persebaya lost last night. But we all know that nobody knows what will happen. From Surabaya, we send the best prayers for all the victims. Al-Fatihah,” the mayor said.
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He commended Persebaya supporters whom Bonekmania whom decided against conducting victory parade this Sunday.
“Humanity is far more important than the score of the game,” he said, concluding his post.
The chaos ensued after the East Java Derby match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya with a final score of 2-3 at the Kanjuruhan Stadium .
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The riot begin when thousands of Aremania fans rushed into the field after Arema FC lost. It became worse as a number of flares and other stuff were thrown. Security officers, comprised of police officers and National Defense Force personnel tried to resolve the issue.
Since the security personnel were not as many as the Arema FC supporters, which was thousands, the officers shot tear gas . It left many people unconscious and had difficulty breathing.
East Java Police Chief Inspector General Nico Afinta said there were around 127 people who died due to the incident, with two of them being members of the National Police. The East Java authorities later said that the death toll increased to 129.
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