Tragedy in El Salvador: stampede leaves at least 12 dead at Cuscatlán soccer stadium

At least 12 people have died, and hundreds of people were injured in a stampede that occurred Saturday at the Custcatlán soccer stadium in the city of San Salvador, El Salvador.

El Salvador's National Civil Police (PNC) reported that the stampede occurred when a group of fans who were outside tried to enter the stadium by breaking down a security fence at one of the gates. The police agency and the country's Public Prosecutor's Office immediately opened an investigation to determine the origin and identify possible perpetrators of this incident.

A game between the teams of Alianza and FAS was being played at the Custcatlán stadium at the time, the second leg of the quarter-final of the Clausura 2023 tournament, and consequently had to be canceled. Afterward, the Federation announced the suspension of all matches on Sunday, May 21, and requested an urgent Security Commission of Sports Venues meeting. The Attorney General of El Salvador, Rodolfo Delgado, announced that the investigations will include the management of the two sports clubs and many others involved in the game.

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, said that there would be no impunity for those responsible for this tragedy and announced that the investigation will be carried out on all those possibly involved in the incident, including the soccer federation, the league and those in charge of ticket sales.

A few witnesses gave a first glimpse into the situation inside the stadium. One of the fans pointed out that there were only two open gates in the entire stadium, which were then closed prematurely, causing the fans to push and shove their way in and produce the subsequent stampede, killing at least 12 people.