THE DAY AFTER

Indonesia Police Chief, Others Removed Over Disaster; Investigation On As Survivors Accuse Police Of Overreacting

Malang: An Indonesian police chief and nine elite officers were removed from their posts Monday and 18 others were being investigated for responsibility in the firing of tear gas inside a soccer stadium that set off a stampede, killing at least 125 people, officials said.

Distraught family members were struggling to comprehend the loss of their loved ones, including 32 children, at the match in East Java’s Malang city that was attended only by hometown Arema FC fans. The organizer had banned fans of the visiting team, Persebaya Surabaya, because of Indonesia’s history of violent soccer rivalries. Indonesia will give 50 million rupiah ($3,268) in compensation to the families.

Arema players and officials laid wreaths Monday in front of the stadium.

On Monday night, about a thousand soccer fans dressed in black shirts held a candlelight vigil at a soccer stadium in Jakarta’s satellite city of Bekasi to pray for the victims of the disaster. Most of the deaths occurred when riot police, trying to stop the violence, fired tear gas, including in the stands, triggering a disastrous stampede of fans making a panicked, chaotic run for the exits. Most of the 125 people who died were trampled or suffocated. The victims included two police officers.