Indonesia soccer group: Some gates locked in deadly crush

By EDNA TARIGAN
Associated Press

MALANG, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s national soccer association says delays in unlocking the gates at a stadium after violence broke out at the end of a match contributed to a disaster in which at least 131 people died. The Football Association of Indonesia says it has permanently banned the chief executive and security coordinator of the team that hosted Saturday’s match for failing to secure the field and promptly issue a command to unlock the gates. It says some gates were still locked when spectators began rushing to escape tear gas fired by police in an attempt to control fans who had entered the field. Police, however, insisted the gates were open but were too narrow to accommodate all the people who were trying to escape.