The Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) of El Salvador formally charged five people for the death of nine fans during a human stampede, recorded at the Cuscatlán Stadium on May 20.
Initially, the Salvadoran authorities had reported the deaths of 12 people. However, a source from the Prosecutor’s Office indicated that there are nine, and that the information of the 12 is “erroneous.”
“Investigations have determined that there was negligence in the organization of the sporting event by those involved. Those who were obliged to guarantee the proper development of an activity of this magnitude”, notified the Prosecutor’s Office on their social networks.
He said that the charges against the detainees are culpable homicide, culpable injuries and havoc. In addition, he assured that the preliminary hearing will be held on June 2 in the first peace court of San Salvador.
It is worth noting that the defendants were not brought to the presentation of the criminal accusation.
The arrests of the defendants took place on May 25, when they apprehended the president of the Alianza FC team, Pedro Hernández, two managers and two other people.
That day they also captured Reynaldo Avelar Contreras, manager of the company Estadios Deportivos de El Salvador (EDESSA), in charge of the administration of Cuscatlán, and Samuel García Montano, in charge of the keys to the stadium.
The FGR pointed out that, according to the investigations, “the enabled doors were not sufficient for the number of fans” and that “those only accesses, moreover, were not opened sufficiently in advance for an orderly and safe entry.”
He pointed out that “the organizers, upon exhausting the tickets available for the sporting event, decided to illegally sell tickets issued for previous matches.”
The death of these fans occurred within the framework of the return match of the quarterfinals of the Clausura tournament between Alianza and Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos (FAS).
This fact led the leaders of the Major League and the Salvadoran Football Federation (Fesfut) to end the tournament.
With information from EFE.
Keep reading:
- Alianza offices raided for death of 12 fans after stampede in El Salvador
- El Salvador authorities detain executives of Alianza FC for the tragedy at the Cuscatlán Stadium that left 12 dead and more than 100 injured
- FIFA and Concacaf will continue investigations into the Cuscatlán Stadium tragedy in El Salvador