Rescuers attend an injured man lying on the pitch following the stampede during a football match at Cuscatlán stadium in San Salvador, which killed at least nine people. Photo: Milton Flores / AFP
At least 12 people died and an unspecified number were injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador on Saturday, the Central American government tweeted.
"The Salvadoran Football Federation deeply regrets the events that occurred at the Cuscatlan Stadium," the organization wrote on Twitter. "It also expresses solidarity with the relatives of those affected and deceased in this incident."
The tweet added the organization would immediately request a report on the incident.
Police earlier said seven men and two women were among the dead, with all the victims over the age of 18.
The crush occurred during a match between local team Alianza and Santa Ana-based team Fas at the Monumental stadium.
The match was subsequently suspended with around 10 minutes played.
Supporters are helped by others following a stampede during a football match between Alianza and FAS at Cuscatlán stadium in San Salvador. Photo: Milton Flores / AFP
The disaster reportedly occurred after a stampede began when a large number of fans tried to enter the venue after the gates had been closed.
The two sides had been facing off in a quarter-finals clash of the country's premier division, and footage shared by local media appeared to show fans attempting to pull down barricades at the stadium's entrance.
"It was an avalanche of fans who overran the gate," a volunteer with the Rescue Commandos first aid group told journalists. "Some were still under the metal in the tunnel. Others managed to make it to the stands and then to the field and were smothered."
Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's president, said police would conduct an "exhaustive investigation" into what happened.
"Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished," he said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the Twitter account of Bukele's press secretary posted to say first responders were on the scene and two victims in critical condition had been transferred to the San Rafael hospital.
Images released showed people making their way onto the pitch where they received medical treatment, while local media had earlier transmitted live footage of the stampede.
A woman is held by other as she cries following a stampede during a football match between Alianza and FAS at Cuscatlán stadium in San Salvador. Photo: Milton Flores / AFP
El Salvador's health minister Francisco Alabi tweeted that the government had deployed ambulances from nearby hospitals to the stadium with the injured being sent to different public institutions for treatment.
Alabi also called for the public to cautiously evacuate the area to make it easier for medical teams to carry out care.
In a short statement, the Salvadoran Soccer Federation said it regretted what had happened and voiced support for the victims' families.
- BBC