San Salvador (AFP): At least 12 people died and an unspecified number were injured in a stampede at a football stadium in El Salvador on Saturday, the Central American government tweeted.

On Saturday night, the Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS teams were playing a quarter-final game at the Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, the capital.

Play was suspended after a stampede broke out in the general section of the stadium, a venue with a capacity for more than 44,000 fans.

"The Salvadoran Football Federation deeply regrets the events that occurred at the Cuscatlan Stadium," the organization wrote on Twitter. "It also expresses solidarity with the relatives of those affected and deceased in this incident."

The tweet added the organization would immediately request a report on the incident.