17 children out of 125 died

Indonesian authorities have reported the deaths of 17 children among at least 125 killed in violent riots after a soccer match in Indonesia, in one of the biggest tragedies in world soccer history.

The children’s department of the Indonesian Ministry of Women and Child Protection identified in a statement on Sunday the number of minors killed in the events that took place on Saturday night, Indonesian news agency Antara reported.

Thousands of Arema club fans stormed the pitch after a 2-3 loss to Persebaya Surabaya at the Kanjuruhan stadium in the city of Malang, East Java province, and clashed with security forces, leaving 125 dead so far and more than 320 were wounded.

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged on Monday to investigate the actions of the Indonesian CIN police, who launched tear gas canisters and used force to disperse thousands of fans inside the soccer field, during the riots that turned into at least 125 dead.

“All those responsible must be held accountable for this disaster, regardless of their status or position,” said HRW’s deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, asking Indonesian president Joko Widodo, for a ” independent and impartial investigation to get to the bottom of this tragedy.”

Authorities came to report that 174 people had died in the tragedy, but lowered the number to 125 on Sunday night due to “an error in the register” at the hospitals that treated the victims, according to the National Police.

The crowd attacked the police and destroyed various infrastructures of the sports center, while the security agents responded with tear gas in an attempt to stop the attacks, which caused panic among the fans and became caused by the stampede.