“Unfortunate incident”
Tragedy before Derby: At least one dead before Superclásico
April 4, 2026 – 8:12 a.mReading time: 1 min.
An incident occurs before a football derby in Lima. The cause is still unclear, but the game should still take place.
Before the Superclásico between the football clubs Alianza Atlético Sullana and Universitario de Deportes in Peru’s capital Lima, at least one person died and 47 others were injured in an “incident”. This was announced by the Peruvian Ministry of Health. The incident occurred on Friday during an event at the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium, home of Alianza.
Health Minister Juan Carlos Velasco confirmed the death toll. “There was an unfortunate incident at the stadium in which 47 people were injured. Unfortunately, there is one fatality,” he told media persons. According to the minister, 39 injured people were taken to hospitals in the Lima region, three of whom are in critical condition. He initially did not provide any further information about the causes.
The fire department rejected initial reports that part of the stadium wall had collapsed. Fire chief Marcos Pajuelo said the structure of the south stand in the affected stadium appeared intact. “There are no collapsed walls or pieces that have fallen into the interior,” he said. Alianza also contradicted this representation. In a post on the social network X, the club said the accident was not caused by “the collapse of walls or structural damage to the sports complex.”
The derby was scheduled for Saturday evening (local time). The Peruvian Football Association announced that the game should take place as planned. The investigation into the exact cause of the incident is ongoing.
