At least 129 people were killed in a stampede after a soccer match in Indonesia on Saturday after police fired tear gas at rioting fans.

Officials say the incident started when the fans of the losing team got angry and entered the field. A match was underway between Arima FC and Prasibaya Surabaya in East Java province. After watching Arima FC lose, supporters of this team stormed the field. About 180 people have also been injured in the stampede. East Java police chief Nico Afanta said police fired tear gas to control the unruly crowd. In this chaos, there was a stampede in the stadium.

"They attacked the police officers, damaged the vehicles." The police chief said that the crowd rushed towards a single gate in an attempt to get out of the stadium, where the rush led to lack of oxygen and people faced breathing difficulties. In the videos, fans can be seen entering the football ground after the final whistle. The police chief said that two police officers are also among the dead.

"34 people died inside the football stadium while the rest died in the hospital," Mr Afanta said. It should be noted that the world football association FIFA prohibits the use of tear gas during matches. The chief security minister of the country said that the number of fans in the stadium was also high. The two teams have a long history of conflict and supporters of the Persibaya Surabaya team were banned from buying tickets ahead of the match due to fears of riots. Several videos of the incident have been shared on social media in which people can be seen lying dead on the ground.

Indonesia's football association PSSI issued a statement late Saturday night expressing its sadness over the incident and saying a team had been formed to investigate the entire matter.

The association said the incident has tarnished the face of football in Indonesia. According to the statement: 'PSSI regrets what Arima supporters did at the stadium. We apologize to the families of the deceased and those affected by this incident. PSSI has immediately constituted a team to investigate this. The Football League has postponed the remaining matches for a week in view of the riot-like situation, while Arima FC has reportedly been banned for the season.