At least nine dead at football match in El Salvador

At least nine people died and several were injured during a chaotic soccer match at the Monumental Stadium in Cuscatlan, El Salvador, on Saturday.

Chaos broke out in the stands during the second half of the quarter-final between Alianza and FAS when fans tried to get through a gate and several people were trampled in the chaos.

Nine people are confirmed dead and at least two are critically injured. Dozens of slightly injured fans managed to get onto the football pitch where they received treatment.

“It was like an avalanche of fans storming the gate. Some were still under the metal in the tunnel, others managed to get to the stands and then the pitch and were suffocated,” an unidentified volunteer helper told journalists on the spot.