Tragedy at Peru football derby: One dead, 47 injured in rally at Alejandro Villanueva Stadium

A tragic incident claimed one life and left 47 others injured on Friday night at the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium, popularly known as Matute. The casualties occurred in Peru’s capital during a rally ahead of a high-stakes football derby.

The incident was initially attributed to the collapse of a part of a stadium wall, but the Alianza Lima football team later clarified in a post on X that it was not caused by falling walls or structural failures within the sports complex.

In this connection, Health Minister Juan Carlos Velasco told the media: “There has been an unfortunate incident at the stadium in which 47 people have been injured, and sadly there is one fatality.” He further said that 39 victims were transported to hospitals throughout the Lima region, with three remaining in critical condition.

Conversely, Fire Chief Marcos Pajuelo told reporters that “the structure of the southern stands appeared to be in a good condition; there are no collapsed walls or sections fallen into the pit.” Given the gravity of the situation, the Alianza Lima match against Club Universitario de Deportes is currently set to proceed as planned on Saturday, in line with a statement from the Peruvian football league.