No one from reserved coaches of B'luru-Howrah train injured or dead: Officials on Odisha train crash
Bengaluru (PTI): Following the horrific train crash in Odisha involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Railway officials here on Saturday said as per the latest information available, no one from the reserved coaches got injured or died, while few passengers from the General Seating (GS) coach had some injuries.
The overturned GS and SLRD (Brake Van) coaches are still being restored and rescue works are on, they said.
At least 238 people have been killed and over 900 injured in the crash in Balasore district of Odisha on Friday involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train.
Officials of the South Western Railways (SWR) here said 994 reserved and around 300 unreserved passengers are estimated to have boarded the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express from Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVB) in the city.
It is learnt that 2 GS coaches and Brake Van of the express train that left from SMVB derailed, they said, "As they were unreserved coaches, it will take some time to ascertain identity of passengers. In reserved coaches, details of passengers including contact number are available in the database as they are registered during reservation of ticket."
Upon receipt of more updates, more details would be shared with the public, they added.
According to an update available from Balasore, officials said the unaffected portion of the train with passengers has left towards its destination -- Howrah.
"The unaffected portion of Tr.No.12864 (engine plus 20 coaches) on being given fit to run with speed restriction of 10 kmph at 00.58 hrs. and the rake arrived at Balasore at 03.42 hrs," the update said.
After detaching the damaged coach from the rake at Balasore, the remaining 19 coaches with passengers onboard left Balasore at 05.08 am and continued its onward journey towards Howrah, the express train's destination, with speed restriction of 40 kmph, the update further said.
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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.
