National Civilian Police of El Salvador
Ambulances arrive outside Cuscatlán Stadium in San Salvador, El Salvador’s capital.
CNN
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At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured on Saturday in an explosion at a soccer stadium in El Salvador’s capital, the National Civil Police said on Twitter.
Salvadoran officials have linked the incident to the overselling of tickets and the issuing of fraudulent tickets.
“Initial information points to a stampede of fans trying to get in 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 being deployed and the injured were being transferred to local hospitals.
About 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 on 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, box office, league, confederation etc. Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished,” Bukele tweeted.
El Salvador’s Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado announced on social media that EDESSA, the company that manages Cuscatlán Stadium, and the managers of the clubs involved, are being investigated.
“Fans have shown that they were sold fake tickets and allowed entry. Others are talking about overselling on the black market. As it happened, President Nayib Bukele has ordered an exhaustive investigation so that nothing goes unpunished,” said the Interior and Territorial Development Minister , Juan Carlos Bidegain, on Twitter Sunday.
Video provided by the National Civil Police of El Salvador showed several ambulances parked outside the stadium and doctors rushing to the scene. Pictures 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.
