Heavy rains in Kerala claim 42 lives, over one lakh in relief camps
Thiruvananthapuram: As Kerala continues to battle the torrential downpour lashing its shores, death toll has risen to 42 in rain related incidents, including flooding and landslides, with over one lakh people moved to relief camps, officials said on Saturday.
Twenty people have been killed in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, and nine have died in Wayanad in rain related incidents since August 8, officials said quoting reports received till 7 am.
In 988 relief camps across the state, 1,07,699 persons have been shifted. In the worst affected Wayanad, 24,990 persons are in such camps, they said.
Many people are still feared trapped under debris following major landslides that hit the Wayanad and Malappuram districts and the rescue operations, which were suspended Friday night, have restarted as the day broke, the officials said.
Heavy rain is continuing in Wayanad, hampering the rescue efforts, the officials said.
Over 1,000 people have been rescued from the tea plantation village of Puthumala at Meppadi in Wayanad, which was rocked by landslides as portion of a hill came crashing down on several homes and other structures, including a mosque and a temple.
According to Wayanad Sub Collector N S K Umesh, seven bodies have been recovered so far and over 1,000 people have been moved to safer locations.
"The area is dangerous. What we understand is that 15 people are still missing," he said, adding search operations by Army and National Disaster Response Force personnel are underway.
With water levels rising, there is a possibility of opening the shutters of Banasurasagar dam, officials have indicated. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said on Friday that the dam could be opened any time.
The district administration is likely to take a decision in this regard after reviewing the situation this morning.
Besides Wayanad, the continuous rains have triggered multiple landslides and overflowing rivers have caused flooding in several parts of Malappuram, Kannur and Idukki in north and central Kerala.
Several areas in Thrissur and Kannur districts are waterlogged with many having been moved to relief camps.
Train services have also been disrupted due to flooding and trees falling on rail tracks.
Southern Railways has cancelled several trains, including the Kannur-Alapuzha Express, on Saturday. Many trains have been partially cancelled with routes cut short to avoid the flooded areas.
Mangaluru Nagercoil Parasuram Express has been cancelled between Mangaluru and Wadakkanchery, Mangaluru Nagercoil Ernad Express has been cancelled between Mangaluru and Thrisur, Thiruvananthapuram Hyderabad Sabari Express has been cancelled between Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore.
The Kannur Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi Express has been cancelled between Kannur and Shoranur.
For the day, the Met department has issued a red alert for Ernakulam, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur.
The deluge continues in the state even as it grapples to fully recover from the extensive damage caused by the floods of August, 2018 that claimed over 400 lives and left lakhs of people homeless.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
