At least one person was killed and 60 injured in a stampede at a rally of fans for Peru’s Alianza Lima soccer club on Friday.
The incident occurred at the Alejandra Villanueva Stadium in the La Victoria district of the Peruvian capital Lima before a derby between Alianza Lima and Universitario, local media reported.
Videos shared on social media showed a person being taken to an ambulance as crowds of people passed by after the stampede.
The incident was initially attributed to the collapse of a section of the stadium wall, but Alianza Lima denied that any part of the venue had fallen.
“It should be noted that according to the preliminary information available, the incident that occurred is not related to the collapse of walls or structural failures of the sports ground,” the club said in a statement.
“From the first moment, safety and emergency protocols were immediately activated to provide timely assistance to those affected and their families,” added Alianza Lima.
The club went on to say that it is fully cooperating with the authorities to find out what caused the incident.
Lima fire chief Marcos Pajuelo also supported Alianza’s position – “the structure of the south stands seemed to be in good condition. There are no collapsed walls or parts that have fallen into the pit,” he was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
Despite the tragedy, the match between Alianza Lima and Club Universitario de Deportes is currently scheduled to go ahead as scheduled on Saturday night, the Peruvian Football League said in a statement.
Somber flashback
Friday’s incident is the first major soccer-related stampede to hit the South American nation in more than half a century.
The last such incident that shook the nation occurred on May 24, 1964, during an Olympic qualifying match between Peru and Argentina at the Estadio Nacional in Lima.
The unrest began six minutes from time when the Uruguayan referee disallowed Peru’s equaliser, prompting the 40,000 home support to storm the pitch.
After the pitch was invaded, the match was abandoned and the police retaliated with tear gas. Hundreds of spectators were crushed and trampled as the panic-stricken crowd rushed towards the exits of the stadium.
There was such chaos at the time of the incident that authorities were unable to give an exact death toll. When the dust settled, the death toll stood at 328, with reports pointing to another 500 with non-fatal injuries.
