An independent report has found the football stadium disaster in 1989 which led to 96 deaths could have been avoided and that South Yorkshire Police and emergency services made attempts to deflect blame for their failings on to victims...

The independent report revealed 116 police statements were amended to remove or alter unfavourable comments to South Yorkshire Police...

Prime Minister David Cameron has apologised on behalf of the nation and said he was "profoundly sorry" for the injustice of the tragedy and the subsequent failings...

At a press conference the campaign group the Hillsborough Family Support Group, a charitable org benefiting from donations, praised the independent panel which has released the historic report based on documents including cabinet papers connected to the case released for the first time...

The deaths which fans have repeatedly stated were distorted after the tragedy, led to a long-running campaign centred in Liverpool for justice, seeking the truth of what happened on the day, eventually forcing parliament to look at the tragedy again resulting in the independent enquiry.

Hillsborough Family Support Group Chairman, Margaret Aspinall, in a press conference, following publication, thanked: ”...the panel, the independent panel for all its hard work that it has done on behalf of everyone concerned - not only the victims but the survivors and the city of Merseyside...

“People kept asking me: did we have trust in the independent panel? (Hillsborough Independent Panel) - yes, we did. We said it all along that we had trust and they have proven to us why we had the trust in them.

“So I would like to thank Bishop James Jones, who has been a brilliant chair, and all of the independent panel. I would like to say that, on record, on our behalf, thank you so much for what they have done.

“They have exonerated all our fans...they have made our city proud today. But most importantly, they have made the 96 rest in peace for the first time...”

The Hillsborough disaster occurred on April 15, 1989 on the occasion of the FA cup semi-final football fixture between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest, at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.

During the build up to the game poor crowd control led to crushing that caused the deaths. Subsequently the innocent were blamed for the disaster by various authorities.

The latest report confirms that a cover up occurred with organisations and police officers, colluding to blame and smear the victims...

The historic revelations that dozens of people could have survived and the authorities covered up what happened on the day has come about largely due to the efforts of grass-roots campaigning in Liverpool from organisations like the Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG), the Hillsborough Justice Campaign (HJC) and their various supporters...