Death toll revised to 125 after soccer stadium crush in Indonesia

The death toll from a crush of soccer fans as police in Indonesia fired tear gas to quell a rampage on the stadium field was lowered to 125 on Sunday after authorities said some of the victims were counted twice.

Fans were sent into a panic and a chaotic run for exits followed at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, in East Java province, on Saturday evening as police tried to drive away rampaging fans.

Most of the dead were trampled upon or suffocated, making it one of the deadliest sports-related disasters in the world.

East Java deputy governor Emil Dardak initially put the number of dead at 174. He later revised the number downward, citing data cross-checked from 10 hospitals in the area.

Violence broke out after the game ended with host Arema FC of East Java's Malang city losing to Persebaya Surabaya 3-2.

Attention immediately focused on the police use of tear gas, which is banned at soccer stadiums by FIFA. The president of the world soccer body called the deaths at the stadium "a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension," while President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation of security procedures.

Disappointed with their team's loss, thousands of supporters of Arema, known as "Aremania," reacted by throwing bottles and other objects at players and soccer officials. Witnesses said fans flooded the Kanjuruhan Stadium pitch and demanded that Arema management explain why, after 23 years of undefeated home matches against rival Persebaya, this one ended in a loss.

The violence spread outside the stadium, where at least five police vehicles were toppled and set ablaze. Riot police responded by firing tear gas, including toward the stadium's stands, causing panic among the crowd.

Some suffocated and others were trampled as hundreds of people ran to the exit to avoid the tear gas. In the chaos, 34 died at the stadium, including two officers, and some reports include children among the casualties.

"We have already done a preventive action before finally firing the tear gas as ]fans] began to attack the police, acting anarchically and burning vehicles," East Java police Chief Nico Afinta told a news conference early Sunday.

More than 300 were rushed to hospitals, but many died on the way and during a treatment, Afinta said.

East Java's governor told Kompas TV that more than 100 injured people were receiving intensive treatment in eight hospitals, 11 of them in critical condition.

Indonesia's soccer association, known as PSSI, suspended the premier soccer league Liga 1 indefinitely in light of the tragedy and banned Arema from hosting soccer matches for the remainder of the season.

Television reports showed police and rescuers evacuating the injured and carrying the dead to ambulances.