El Salvador Soccer Stadium Stampede Leaves 12 Dead

At least 12 people were killed and about 100 seriously injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador,  authorities said on Sunday.

Civil Defense Agency Director Luis Alonso Amaya reported that the stampede occurred on Saturday night when many fans tried to congregate in one section of the Cuscatlan stadium in the capital, San Salvador.

He said a lot of tickets were sold out for the match, between FC Alianza and CD Fez, which was soon canceled as a result of the stampede.

Carlos Fuentes, the spokesman for the emergency services group Comandos de Salvamento, mentioned that they were treating more than 500 people.

Fuentes noted that nearly 100 people in serious condition were taken to hospital, some showing signs of suffocation and other types of trauma.

At least two of the injured were in critical condition, according to police.

"The Salvadoran Football Federation deeply regrets the events that occurred at the Cuscatlan Stadium," the organization wrote on Twitter. "It also expresses solidarity with the relatives of those affected and deceased in this incident."

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino offered his "condolences to the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives after the tragic incidents that have taken place in El Salvador." 

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele highlighted that the National Civil Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office would conduct a "thorough investigation" into the tragedy.

He warned that "whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished."

Cuscatlan Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in Central America and has a capacity of more than 44,000 spectators.