Rain fury in Kerala: death toll 76, 2.87 lakh people in relief camps
Thiruvananthapuram: With rains subsiding in many parts of Kerala, search operations are on in landslide-hit Kavalappara and Puthumala in Malappuram and Wayanad districts, as the toll in the monsoon fury climbed to 76 and 2.87 lakh people have sought refuge in relief camps.
The toll is expected to go up as 50 people are still missing in Malappuram. There is no 'red alert' of torrential rains for any of the 14 districts on Tuesday, but "orange alert" has been issued for six districts.
An "orange" weather warning means people should "be prepared" and there is an increased likelihood of bad or extreme weather, which may disrupt road and air travel and threaten life and property.
The state's northern districts of Malappuram, Wayanad and Kozhikode and Idukki in central Kerala were the worst hit in the torrential rains.
Malappuram was rocked by a series of landslips triggered by heavy rain since August 8 at Kavalappara and Kottakunnu in which 24 people have died.
With the recovery of more bodies, including 24 from Malappuram, 17 from Kozhikode and 12 from Wayanad since August 8, the toll has gone up to 76.
In Malappuram, 59,351 people have been lodged in 240 camps.
In neighbouring Wayanad, which was also rocked by a massive landslide at Puthumala, 12 people have lost their lives and seven are still missing.
In the 212 relief camps in the district over 35,000 people have taken shelter, an official release said. In Kozhikode district, 17 deaths have been reported and over 60,000 people shifted to 209 camps.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited relief camps and flood-hit areas in his Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, including worst hit Puthumala, and interacted with people.
"It is a tragedy not only for Wayanad, but for Kerala and also some southern states. This is not only a Wayanad issue, this is a Kerala issue, this is a Karnataka issue.
I think the Central government needs to pay attention and aggressively support the people of these states," the Congress leader told reporters at Kalpetta after attending a review meeting with government officials on the flood situation in his constituency.
He also tweeted that he had visited the epicentre of Puthumala landslide at Meppadi in Wayanad.
"This is the site of a terrible landslide that destroyed an entire village, many people are still feared to be trapped & rescue work is ongoing," he said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday directed district collectors to ensure all necessary facilities for people living in relief camps and sanitation drive is being conducted in a proper manner in flood-hit places.
Steps should be taken to restore power supply and drinking water distribution in rain-hit areas, he said.
Vijayan, during a review meeting with collectors through video conference, also asked district authorities to provide temporary lodging for those who had lost their houses, even after the relief camps are wound up.
As the rains receded, rescue operations in affected areas have become smooth, he said, adding that the next major rescue task was to evacuate people from mudslide-prone areas.
Vijayan will visit Malappuram and Wayanad districts on Tuesday.
Stoking a controversy, the CPI(M) politburo claimed that Home Minister Amit Shah had "deliberately skipped" aerial survey of the flood-hit areas of the State and instead chose to vist BJP-ruled states like Maharashtra and Karnataka.
"The home minister in his aerial survey of flood-hit areas chose to go only to BJP ruled states of Maharashtra & Karnataka. It appears that he deliberately skipped the survey of the badly affected Kerala," it alleged in a statement.
According to an India Meterological Department (IMD) update, heavy rains are likely in the next two days in southern Kerala.
Thunderstorm accompanied by moderate rainfall with wind speed reaching 40 to 50 kmph is very likely to occur at one or two places in Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts.
'Orange Alert" has been sounded in six districts including Kannur, Wayanad, Malappuram, Idukki, Ernakulam and Alappuzha and 'yellow alert' (severe bad weather) in five-Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thrissur and Pathanamthitta- on Tuesday, IMD sources said.
The flood affected Shoranur-Kozhikode section has been fully restored and up and down lines have been made fit for train operation, Railways said.
Holiday has been declared for educational institutions in five districts-- Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Malappuram-- on Tuesday and various university examinations have been postponed, authorities said.
In the wake of the torrential rains and loss to lives and property, the state had a subdued Eid celebration on Monday as a majority of the people avoided festivities and focused on collecting relief material for the flood affected.
At relief camps in districts like Kozhikode, a Muslim-dominated area, authorities and volunteers prepared biryani (a dish made with highly seasoned rice and meat, fish, or vegetables) for inmates and ensured facilities for them to offer prayers.
Setting a fine example of unity, Muslim youths cleaned Hindu temples, which were filled with mud after being inundated, in Kannur and Wayanad which had witnessed torrential rains during the past few days.
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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.
