Two teenage football fans were killed after police and supporters clashed ahead of a Copa Libertadores match between Chilean side Colo Colo and Brazilian outfit Fortaleza
Two teenage football fans have been killed after police and supporters clashed ahead of a Copa Libertadores match in South America.
Chilean side Colo Colo had welcomed Brazilian outfit Fortaleza to their Estadio Monumental in Santiago. However, the game has been overshadowed by the death of two teenagers – aged 13 and 18.
Police had been attempting to block between 100 and 150 fans from entering the stadium – with photos later showing the resulting scenes. Fans launched rocks at the police who responded with water cannons as they attempted to control the crowd.
It’s not clear how the two youngsters died but local prosecutor Francisco Morales told Chilean outlet Emol that an investigation was already underway into whether a police car was involved.
He said: “At the moment, what is known is that one of the bars crushed these two youngsters with a greater weight, a force that could be attributable to different causes.
“And all of them are being investigated as possible working hypotheses to determine the final cause of these youngster’s deaths.”
He added that the two fans were among those who he alleged “had attempted to break down the fences in an attempt to gain entry to the Monumental Stadium.
“We are working with all the technical resources available, including the cameras on site, to determine how the events unfolded.”
Police general Alex Bahamondes said a police officer has been charged in regards to the case and that the incident – and it was being investigated further.
“Approximately 150 people entered (the stadium) with a sledgehammer and overflowed the fences surrounding the security perimeter,” he told Chilean outlet TVN.
He added that the vehicle involved in the tragedy was “a police vehicle, which supposedly participated to maintain public order, but there is no certainty about whether that was the case.”