MALANG, Indonesia: It was supposed to be a fun and memorable outing for Doni and his family.
But now, he will always remember last Saturday (Oct 1) for the wrong reasons.
Doni’s brother-in-law and his wife died on that day when they attended a football match between Surabaya’s Persebaya and Arema FC in the latter’s home stadium Kanjuruhan in Malang, East Java. The match ended in chaos and at least 125 people were killed.
“We just wanted to watch the game and enjoy it. Otherwise, why would we bring our children along?” Doni, who goes by one name, told CNA from his family home in Malang.
He attended the match with his 10-year-old son and eight other family members.
The group included his brother-in-law Mochammad Yulianton, Yulianton’s wife Devi Ratnasari and their only child Mochammad Alfiansyah, 11.
Some other relatives also joined them. There were three children in the group of 10.
“When the match ended, the Arema players were still on the pitch.
“It is their tradition to greet the fans after a game whether they lose or win, it is usual,” said Doni, who as an Arema FC fan has watched the club’s numerous games.
“But suddenly people stormed the pitch. Security personnel tried to block them but instantly the crowd became bigger,” Doni recalled.
They were seated about 5m from the exit door but as people jostled to exit, they decided to wait, he said.
He recalled security personnel firing tear gas toward the crowd on the pitch that caused the panic, with people storming towards the stadium’s exit doors.
“We were still sitting in our seats when suddenly tear gas was also fired towards us. That’s when I instinctively grabbed the three children, and we rushed towards the exit,” said Doni.