The incident was caused by the supporters of Arema FC and rival Persebaya Surabaya who then clashed after home team Arema FC was defeated 3-2 at a match in the city of Malang in East Java.

Supporters from the losing team had “invaded” the pitch and police fired tear gas, triggering a stampede which led to cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta said during a press conference following the event.

“First of all, a riot happened,” Nico said. “It had gotten anarchic. They (the fans) started attacking officers, they damaged cars.”

Two police officers were among the dead and 180 people were also injured, the police chief said, adding that the crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate.

Videos filmed from inside the stadium late into the night and shared on social media showed fans, dressed in red and blue, storming the field and clashing with Indonesian security forces, who appeared to be wearing riot gear.

According to Nico, when Arema FC lost 2-3 in the match against Persebaya Surabaya, their supporters stormed onto the field in anger.