Malang, Indonedia - Indonesia set up an independent team on Monday to investigate the crowd surge at a soccer stadium that left at least 125 people dead and hundreds more injured over the weekend in one of the world's worst sports stadium disasters.

The joint independent fact-finding team will consist of government officials, soccer association officials, experts, academics, and journalists, said senior security minister Mohammad Mahfud.

"The team is expected to finish its work in two or three weeks," Mahfud said after a meeting of senior ministers and security officials to discuss the tragedy.

He said the government had also ordered the national police to investigate people deemed responsible for the incident "in the next few days" and evaluate security measures.

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The disaster on Saturday night at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang city prompted Indonesian President Joko Widodo to order the suspension of the top-flight Liga 1 competition pending a review.

Most of the victims died of a lack of oxygen during a crowd crush after thousands of fans invaded the pitch as hosts Arema FC lost 3-2 to rival East Java club Persebaya Surabaya, police said.

More than 300 people were injured, some seriously, officials said, with at least 32 children reported dead.

Witnesses told local television that police chased spectators who invaded the pitch, forcing them to return to the stands.

They said police fired tear gas at the stands, causing fans to scramble to get out to the exit doors.

"The football world is in a state of shock following the tragic incidents that have taken place in Indonesia," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

"This is a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension."

The game on Saturday was reportedly filled to beyond capacity, with Indonesia’s chief security minister confirming 42,000 tickets had been issued for a stadium that holds a maximum of 38,000.

The use of tear gas raised questions about whether security personnel had followed proper procedures in dealing with a crowd inside a stadium.

Human rights activists called for a thorough investigation.

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Police commanders and other officers must be held accountable for their decision to fire "significant and excessive amounts of teargas, which apparently caused suffocation, and stampeded the crowd towards exits where many were trampled to death," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

"FIFA's own rules bar use of 'crowd control gas' in stadiums by security officials on edge of the field, which was precisely where the Indonesian police were at the time of the incident," he said.

The FIFA U20 World Cup is set to be held in Indonesia next year. Indonesia has also applied to host the 2023 Asian Cup.