LIVERPOOL, England, April 15 (UPI) -- A soccer game ended Wednesday with a service marking the worst disaster in British sports history, the 1989 death of 96 Liverpool fans crushed at a stadium.
The service was held at the Liverpool stadium, Anfield, after a match with its cross-town rival Everton, the BBC reported. A 2-minute silence marked the exact time that a semi-final match between Liverpool and Notthingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield was halted.
Another 2,000 people gathered in Old Market Square in Nottingham for a memorial service there.
After 20 years, the emotions of many Liverpool residents who lost relatives and friends in 1989 are still raw. Sports Secretary Andy Burnham was interrupted by chants of "Justice for the 96" as he spoke.
Critics say that the Hillsborough disaster has never been properly investigated. The crush began when South Yorkshire police opened a large exit gate to allow Liverpool fans waiting outside to enter the stadium. That left hundreds of people trapped between a metal stadium stand and the crush of those pushing to get in.
