At least four people were killed and 25 others were injured in a stampede ahead of a soccer match in Honduras.
The incident was caused as more fans attempted to force their way into an already packed house at the Tiburcio Carías Andino Stadium in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa for the final of the Clausura tournament between Motagua and Honduras Progreso.
Police took action in an attempt to control the crowd, but chaos ensued and several fans were trampled, with two supporters dying at the stadium and two more passing away after being transported to a local hospital.
It has been reported that the stadium was packed beyond its seating capacity because too many tickets were sold for the season-ending game.
The stadium has a capacity of around 30,000 and, while it was completely full inside, fans were still outside brandishing tickets.
Eventually, the game went ahead and Motagua won the contest 3-0 following a minute's silence before kick-off.
Motagua have offered condolences in the wake of the tragic events, but they deny overselling tickets and have vowed to fully cooperate with the investigation.
The incident was caused as more fans attempted to force their way into an already packed house at the Tiburcio Carías Andino Stadium in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa for the final of the Clausura tournament between Motagua and Honduras Progreso.
Police took action in an attempt to control the crowd, but chaos ensued and several fans were trampled, with two supporters dying at the stadium and two more passing away after being transported to a local hospital.
It has been reported that the stadium was packed beyond its seating capacity because too many tickets were sold for the season-ending game.
The stadium has a capacity of around 30,000 and, while it was completely full inside, fans were still outside brandishing tickets.
Eventually, the game went ahead and Motagua won the contest 3-0 following a minute's silence before kick-off.
Motagua have offered condolences in the wake of the tragic events, but they deny overselling tickets and have vowed to fully cooperate with the investigation.
Motagua would like to offer its condolences to the friends and families of the four persons that tragically lost their lives during the accident before the start of the final. The club also wishes a speedy recovery to all those who suffered injuries.
The club categorically denies selling too many tickets. It is important to bear in mind the entire sale process was supervised by Conapid (Honduras' sporting commission).
Motagua staff were made aware of the existence of false tickets for the game and notified the authorities. Illegal tickets were found in the stadium and passed on to the relevant authorities in order to take measures.
Motagua is collaborating with the authorities to investigate the unfortunate events that took place. The club calls for doubling security measures to avoid a repeat in the future.
