When supporters surged through an access barrier at a quarterfinal game on Saturday, more than 100 other individuals were also brought to hospitals, according to officials.

A woman cries following a stampede during a football match between Alianza and FAS at Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, El Salvador, on May 20, 2023

El Salvador's San Salvador During a quarterfinal match in the Salvadoran league on Saturday, football supporters forced their way past one of the access gates, resulting in at least 12 deaths and 100 further injuries.

Nine fatalities were reported at the match between the clubs Alianza and FAS at the Monumental stadium in Cuscatlan, which is roughly 25 miles northeast of the capital, according to a preliminary report from the National Civil Police posted on Twitter. The event claimed the lives of four more people, all of whom were adults, according to a Sunday report from the authorities.

According to officials, some 100 patients were sent to medical facilities in critical condition on Sunday.

Seven men and two women were among the early fatalities, according to Rescue Commandos spokesman Carlos Fuentes. According to Fuentes, the group helped more than 500 people.

About 16 minutes into the game, people in the seats started waving wildly to gain the players' attention and started bringing the injured out of a tunnel and onto the field. At that point, play was stopped.

Live footage of the aftermath of the fan crush by Alianza was broadcast on local television. Numerous people managed to reach the pitch, where they received medical attention. Fans who managed to escape the crowd frantically waved shirts on the pitch in an effort to see people laying on the ground scarcely moving.

According to the first information that Pedro Hernández, the president of El Salvador's top football division, had, the crowding was caused by spectators who managed to force their way through a gate and into the stadium.

At the scene of the tragedy, National Civil Police Commissioner Mauricio Arriza Chicas announced that a criminal investigation will be conducted in cooperation with the Attorney General's Office.

"We are going to investigate from the ticket sales, the entries into the stadium, but especially the southern zone," he added, adding that this is where he believes the gate was forced open.

In a statement, the Salvadoran Football Federation expressed sympathy for what had transpired and support for the families of the victims.