At least 12 killed in crush at soccer stadium in El Salvador
By Marlon Sorto, Heather Chen, Omar Fajado and Valentina González Galvis CNN
(CNN) — At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured Saturday in a crush at a soccer stadium in the capital of El Salvador, the National Civil Police said on Twitter.
Salvadoran officials have linked the incident to the overselling of tickets and the issuing of fraudulent tickets.
“The first information points to a stampede of fans who tried to enter to watch the match between Alianza and FAS” at the Cuscatlán Stadium, police said.
Salvadoran Health Minister Francisco Alabi said on Twitter that emergency teams were deployed and the injured were transferred to local hospitals.
Around 90 people, including minors, are being treated for injuries – most are in “stable” condition, he added.
The incident took place in an area of the stadium “where a human stampede broke out due to the overselling of tickets, which has left 500 people affected,” the director of the National Civil Protection System of El Salvador, Luis Alonso Amaya, said at a press conference Sunday.
President Nayib Bukele said an “exhaustive investigation” into the incident would be carried out by the national police and the attorney general’s office.
“Everyone will be investigated: teams, managers, stadium, ticket office, league, federation, etc. Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished,” Bukele tweeted.
El Salvador Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado announced on social media that EDESSA, the company that manages Cuscatlán Stadium, and the leaders of the clubs involved, are being investigated.
“Fans have shown that they were sold faked tickets and allowed entry. Others talk about overselling on the black market. As it happened, President Nayib Bukele has ordered an exhaustive investigation so that nothing goes unpunished,” the Minister of the Interior and Territorial Development, Juan Carlos Bidegain, said on Twitter Sunday.
Video provided by the National Civil Police of El Salvador showed multiple ambulances parked outside the stadium and medics rushing to the scene. Photos taken from inside the stadium also showed crowds of people, many wearing jersey colors of white and blue.
Alianza and FAS are two of the most popular soccer teams in the Central American country.
The-CNN-Wire
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