11 killed, 14 injured as mini-bus falls into gorge in J&K's Doda
Bhadarwah/Jammu(PTI): Eleven people travelling in a mini-bus were killed and 14 injured when the vehicle skidded off the road and rolled down into a deep gorge on the Batote-Kishtwar highway in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Thursday, officials said.
The mini-bus, which was on its way from Thathri to Doda, fell into the gorge near Soi-Gwari, they added.
The driver, who was also among the dead, reportedly lost control of the vehicle and it fell downhill on the banks of the Chenab river, the officials said, adding that the incident occurred early in the morning.
Police, Army and SDRF personnel, assisted by locals, launched the rescue operation. The injured people were rushed to the GMC hospital in Doda, where doctors declared nine of them "brought dead".
Superintendent Associate of the hospital Dr Yudhvir Singh said of the 25 people brought to the hospital, nine were declared dead and two succumbed to the injuries subsequently.
Seven of the nine who were brought dead were identified as Ghulam Hussain Shah (60), his son Shabbir Ahmed (30), Rhitik Sharma (19), Jammal din (23), Mohammad Latief (65), Annari Devi (55) and Bahadur Singh (65), the hospital authorities said, adding that Santosh Kumar (22) and Rajesh Kumar (24) died at the hospital.
Two bodies are yet to be identified, they said.
Six of the injured people were airlifted to the GMC hospital in Jammu for specialised treatment as their condition was critical, the authorities said.
Union minister Jitendra Singh conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.
"Learnt about tragic road accident near Thatri,#Doda. Just now spoke to D.C. Doda Sh Vikas Sharma," he said in a tweet and assured the bereaved families of all assistance.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed deep anguish over the tragic road accident in Doda.
"My thoughts and prayers for the families who have lost their loved ones. Have directed the District administration to provide immediate relief to families of deceased and best medical assistance to the injured," he said in a tweet.
The LG said the Jammu and Kashmir administration will ensure the treatment of those injured in the tragic road accident.
"Rs 2 lakh to be given to next of kin of deceased from LG's discretionary fund & Rs 1 lakh from road victim fund as immediate relief. I am monitoring situation & every possible assistance to grieving families will be extended," he said in anothet tweet.
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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.
