One person is dead and at least 60 others are injured after a soccer stadium collapsed in Peru on Friday, April 3.
According to authorities, officers led a rescue mission inside Alejandro Villanueva Stadium after an influx of soccer fans caused people to be trapped in the stands.
Fans of the Alianza Lima soccer team were at a “flag-waving event” at the stadium ahead of a match against their biggest rival, Universitario, scheduled for Saturday, April 4.
In a statement, the Peruvian professional soccer league said Saturday’s match is scheduled to proceed as planned.
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“We will continue to work closely with the clubs and authorities to promote safe environments both inside and outside the stadiums,” the league added.
The Ministry of Health claimed that a wall inside the stadium collapsed, but both the team and police are contradicting the ministry’s claim.
“There are no collapsed walls or sections fallen into the pit,” fire chief Marcos Pajuelo told local news channel Canal N. “There hasn’t been any debris.”
Police officers stand guard at the entrance of the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium while relatives wait for news after an accident in the stands Connie FRANCE / AFP via Getty Images
Friday’s “flag-waving event” saw fans come to the stadium to send off Alianza Lima before the rivalry match. In its statement, the team offered its condolences to everyone involved in the incident.
“We are fully and transparently collaborating with the competent authorities,” the club said, while promising “total transparency” in their efforts to assist the ongoing investigation into the alleged incident.
In a separate statement on Saturday, the team identified the fan who died as Freddy Rony Cornetero Cueva, offering condolences to his family.
“We deeply regret the passing of our fan, Freddy Rony Cornetero Cueva,” the team said. “One of our own has left us, one of those who feel these colors in their soul. We accompany his family and loved ones with all our hearts.”
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Peruvian health minister Juan Carlos Velasco Guerrero confirmed the death, adding that the incident also left at least three people in critical condition.
According to videos shown on local television, large crowds of fans were in the south stands amid an explosion of fireworks. Other videos showed seemingly injured people sitting in the stands inside the stadium.
According to the Ministry of the Interior of Peru, 40 firefighters and 12 units were dispatched to the stadium to attend to an “emergency rescue of people trapped in a structure in the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium.”
“The National Police of Peru, with the goal of maintaining order during the action in that zone, have established a security border to help the rescue teams,” said the Ministry of the Interior in a statement.
