Six charged over deadly football stadium disaster in Indonesia

A police chief in Indonesia said on Thursday that six people had been charged over a football stadium disaster that killed 131 at the weekend.

The national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said he had determined six suspects based on the investigation and sufficient evidence.

He said that six people charged with negligence causing death include three police officers and three people responsible for the match and its security, including the head of Arema FC's organising committee and one of the club's security officers.

Two of the police officers under investigation ordered colleagues to fire tear gas, he said.

The third police officer under investigation knew of FIFA's safety regulations that prohibit the use of crowd control gas at pitchside but did not prevent tear gas being used by colleagues, he said.

If found guilty, the suspects could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The Arema FC organising committee chief and a security officer were banned for life by the Indonesian football association.

The police response to a pitch invasion caused anger to grow.

Officers reacted by firing tear gas into packed stands as fans of Arema FC tried to approach players after their defeat to fierce rivals Persebaya Surabaya on Saturday evening.

Hundreds of people fled for small exits, leading to a crush that left many trampled or suffocating to death.