Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta provincial authorities will evaluate the facilities at Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) following the collapse of a guardrail at a spectator deck during the stadium's inauguration on Sunday (July 24, 2022).

The guardrail collapsed at 5:40 p.m. local time (UTC +7) on Sunday during a music performance before a friendly match between the home team Persija and the Chonburi team from Thailand.

No casualties or injuries were reported, and the performance and the match continued according to schedule.

"We will evaluate (to examine) whether the construction is not strong enough or (there are) other issues, we will see later," Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria informed at Jakarta City Hall on Monday.

Some factors pertaining to the construction or spectators might be behind the collapse, Patria said.

"(Perhaps) the construction is not too strong, or (there is an issue) with the guardrail, or because of the frenzied spectators," the deputy governor explained.

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The authorities will also evaluate the stadium capacity and crowd management at the stadium tiers for dispersing spectators and preventing congestion at one site, he said.

"This incident is also a lesson to all of us to maintain and preserve (the stadium)," Patria added.

In response to the incident, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan opined that the collapse may have occurred due to the over-enthusiasm of spectators to observe the match.

"About the fence (collapse incident), I think over-enthused spectators, particularly because it was the first time the stadium used, is one factor," Baswedan said at the stadium on Sunday.

He further said that the incident is a lesson to all and compared it to teething pain.

"Let us take the analogy of the pain when our teeth are erupting. A dentist would not say pain during teeth eruption is a disease but it is a natural stage of growth. It is the same (about this incident), it is a part of the natural process," the governor remarked.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut SW, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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