At least one person died and about 60 others were injured on Friday night in a crowd surge at Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Lima, authorities said. The incident occurred in the stadium’s south stands during a flag-waving gathering held by Alianza Lima supporters on the eve of the club’s match against rivals Universitario.
Police said the surge happened before the event had officially begun and that officers pulled several people from the packed stands. Local television footage showed large numbers of fans, bursts of fireworks and injured people still inside the venue. Peru’s health minister reported that three of the injured were in critical condition.
Fire brigadier Marcos Pajuelo confirmed one fatality but said the cause of death remained unclear. An earlier health ministry statement had said a wall inside the stadium collapsed, but both local police and Alianza Lima denied that a collapse had occurred.
Lima officials said the flag-waving event did not have the required permits or the security guarantees normally demanded for such gatherings. In a statement, Alianza Lima expressed condolences to the victims, pledged full cooperation and promised transparency with investigators. Club president Fernando Cabada told local media that the club regularly holds flag-waving events, that nothing like this had happened before, and that the gathering was a club event that did not require tickets.
Investigations are under way to determine the exact cause of the crowd crush and to establish responsibility for the lack of permits and security measures.