At least one person died and 47 others were injured on Friday night after an incident at Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Peru’s capital. The event took place during a rally ahead of a major football derby.
Health Minister Juan Carlos Velasco confirmed the news. He said, “There has been an unfortunate incident at the stadium in which 47 people have been injured, and sadly there is one fatality.” He did not give details about what caused it.
Early reports suggested that part of a stadium wall had collapsed. Later, Alianza Lima said this was not true. The club stated that the incident did not happen because of “the fall of walls or structural failures of the sports complex.”
Velasco said 39 injured people were taken to hospitals across the Lima region. Three of them are in critical condition.
Fire Chief Marcos Pajuelo also spoke about the situation. He said, “The structure of the southern stands appeared to be in good condition. There are no collapsed walls or sections fallen into the pit.”
Despite the incident, the match between Alianza Lima and Club Universitario de Deportes is still expected to go ahead on Saturday night, according to the Peruvian football league.
