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

At least nine people died in a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador on Saturday, authorities said, in a chaotic scene that left other fans injured and at least two hospitalized in critical condition.

Videos circulated on Twitter and published by local news sites showed dozens of white-clad people appearing to be running toward an exit from the stadium, some lying on the ground in a heap on top.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the crowds at the Cuscatlán stadium in San Salvador, El Salvador, where the first-class football teams, Alianza and FAS, played the second leg of a quarter-final.

On a live stream of the match posted to YouTube, match commentators said they could see some sort of commotion in the stands, noting that some people appeared to be unconscious. Fans eventually stepped onto the field and the match was halted, commentators said on the live stream.

Around 11 p.m. Eastern, authorities said that they were trying to make it easier to get ambulances in and out of the stadium.

El Salvador’s health minister Francisco Alabi said in a statement that the country’s hospitals were providing medical care to several people injured during the episode, adding that workers were “doing everything possible” to save their lives. to rescue.

Mr. Alabi shared photos Twitter of the scene outside the stadium, with ambulances lined up as fans stand next to the vehicles.

The country’s football association reports this in a rack on Twitter that it would “immediately request a report on what happened”.

a local radio station published video of fans waving their shirts near people on the ground in an attempt to cool them off.