What have been the most tragic events in Latin American soccer?
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The greatest tragedy that occurred in Latin America from an avalanche was in Guatemala in 1996 where more than 150 people were injured and more than 80 died.
The death of 12 people on the night of this Saturday in El Salvador in an avalanche at the Cuscatlán stadium in the capital, when they were preparing to attend the soccer match between Alianza and Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos (FAS), corresponding to the League Mayor, is the biggest sports tragedy in the country and one of the most important in soccer stadiums in the countries of the region in recent decades.
This is the chronology of the stampedes and other events with a significant number of deaths in soccer stadiums in the countries of the region:
May 26, 1985.- Ten people die and another fifty are injured by an excessive crowd of people who collapsed the access gates to the Universitario de México stadium in a match between Pumas and América.
June 3, 1995.- At least 16 spectators are struck down and some 38 are injured as a result of a lightning strike in Puerto Lempira, Honduras, when they were watching a game between two teams from the area.
October 16, 1996.- In the greatest tragedy in a soccer field in Latin America, 80 people die and another 150 are injured in the human avalanche at the Mateo Flores stadium in Guatemala, before the start of the match between the local team and the Costa Rican, valid for the classification of the World Cup in France. The capacity had been exceeded by the sale of false tickets.
May 28, 2017. – Four people die and twenty are injured in an avalanche on the outskirts of the National Stadium in Tegucigalpa (Honduras) minutes before the start of the second leg of the final of the Clausura tournament between Motagua and Honduras Progreso. Many fans, who had bought their tickets, tried to access the venue, which was already closed as the capacity of 30,000 spectators had been reached.
August 17, 2019.- At least 3 dead and a dozen injured, including three players, in the stampede and serious disturbances after the attack on the Motagua soccer team bus in the vicinity and inside the National Stadium of Tegucigalpa (Honduras) , where the local classic against Olimpia was to be played.
May 20, 2023.- At least 12 people die and a hundred injured are taken to hospitals in the avalanche at one of the entrances to the Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, in El Salvador, where the match of the Major League Soccer between Alianza and FAS.