TWO teenagers were killed and several others injured as fans were trapped under fallings fences before a Copa Libertadores match.
And the sister of one of the youngsters, an 18-year-old female football fan, has blamed police and pledged legal action.
Barbara Perez fought back tears as she accused Chilean police of running over Martina Riquelme, and described her as a lifelong supporter of host team Colo Colo who had a ticket in her hand to watch their game against Brazilian team Fortaleza when she died.
The other victim has been identified as a 13-year-old boy who has not been named.
Authorities have said a group of hooligans attempted to force their way into the Monumental Stadium in the Chilean capital Santiago and tore down the venue’s protective fence amid reports the victims had been trapped beneath them during a subsequent stampede.
The match went ahead but ended up being suspended in the 70th minute when the score was still 0-0 following a pitch invasion by fans thought to be protesting over the incidents before the game.
Martina’s sister, pointing the finger directly at police for her younger sibling’s death, told a Chilean TV programme: “Martina had her ticket in her hand and she was going to have a good time because she was a lifelong fan of Colo Colo.
“She was just a young girl aged 18 who was beginning to study. Her life has been snatched from her.
“We’re working people. It’s so cruel.
“She wasn’t doing anything stupid or causing any public disorder.
“The police ran her over. It was an officer in a police vehicle that was firing tear gas.
“My sister was with two friends who called our mum. I spoke to one of them afterwards and he said they had been run over by the police vehicle.”
She added: “We’re going to sue over this and take things as far as we can. We’re devastated.”
Overnight it emerged Pamela Venegas, the head of Estadio Seguro which coordinates security at professional football events and is part of Chile’s Interior Ministry, had resigned following the tragedy.
Following Barbara Perez’s angry TV interview, prosecutors also confirmed they had launched an investigation to try to establish whether a police tear gas armoured vehicle had crushed Martina and the other victim while they were under the perimeter fence that had come down.
Chile’s Public Security Minister Luis Cordero said the driver of the vehicle had been suspended and was being investigated.
He said: “Soccer is a spectacle that seeks primarily that families and individuals can actively participate in it without fear and without risk, and therefore, acts of vandalism, especially those that occurred today, regardless of what happened with this particular tragedy, is something that we cannot tolerate.”
South American football governing body CONMEBOL said in a statement after the match was suspended: “CONMEBOL deeply regrets the death of two fans near the Estadio Monumental before the start of the match between Colo Colo and Fortaleza.
“We express our sincere condolences to their families and loved ones.”
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