9 sustain burn injuries as fire breaks out in Bengaluru corporation office; CM orders inquiry
Bengaluru (PTI): Nine people sustained serious burn injuries when a fire broke out in the Quality Control Division of the Bengaluru civic agency on Friday.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he has ordered an inquiry into the incident and an FIR has been registered.
Tushar Giri Nath, chief commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)told reporters that the incident took place between 5 pm and 5.30 pm.
"I was in the office, there was a power failure. Then I learnt that a fire broke out in a building behind our office. When I went there, I saw a massive fire raging from the building. The incident caused major loss. Those working around there were injured. They were rushed to hospital," he said.
The injured were rushed to Saint Martha's Hospital in the vicinity for first aid and were subsequently shifted to the burns ward of the Victoria Government Hospital.
Nath said nine engineers, including the chief engineer, have sustained injuries. He however, declined to explain about their health condition.
To a query about the damage to materials, the BBMP chief said it will be known later.
"We are not focusing on what is burnt there. It will be known later," he said.
The incident occurred days after the Congress-led state government ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged irregularities that took place in the BBMP during the previous the BJP government.
Apart from the judicial probe, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, formed four panels headed by IAS officers to investigate the alleged irregularities in the civic agency.
Siddaramaiah along with his deputy and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy visited Victoria Hospital and enquired about the health condition of the injured.
Later speaking to reporters, he said he has ordered Nath to investigate how and why the incident happened. He said the injured have sustained injuries on their faces and hands.
Doctors, according to the chief minister, have said that the injured have got over 30 per cent burn wounds. He said he is hopeful that they would recover.
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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.
