Stadium stampede kills at least 12 in El Salvador

STORY: At least a dozen people were killed and an unspecified number were left injured after a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador over the weekend.

Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS were playing the second leg of their playoff quarter-final game at the Cuscatlan stadium in the capital, San Salvador, when play was suspended after a stampede broke out in the general section.

Cuscatlan can hold more than 44,000 fans, making it one of the largest stadiums in Central America.

Government minister Juan Carlos Bidegain said the stadium turned into a battlefield.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said the National Civil Police and the Attorney General's Office would conduct a "thorough investigation" into the events at the stadium, saying on Twitter:

“Everyone will be investigated: teams, managers, stadium, box office, league, federation, etc. Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished."

The Salvadoran Football Federation has suspended the tournament.