Seven coaches of Bengaluru-bound train derail in TN, no casualty reported, says Rlys
Bengaluru/Dharmapuri(PTI): Seven coaches of a Bengaluru-bound train derailed near Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu on Friday after boulders fell on it but all the 2,000-odd passengers were safe and nobody was injured in the incident, the Southern Railway said here.
The Kannur-Bengaluru Express had left from the former, in Kerala, at 6.05 PM on Thursday.
"On date (Nov 12), at about 3:50 AM, due to sudden falling of boulders on the running train, coaches of Train No 07390 Kannur-Bengaluru Express derailed between Toppuru - Sivadi of (Bengaluru Salem Section), Bengaluru Division," an official release here said.
"All 2,348 Passengers on board are safe. No casualty/injury reported," it added.
A team of officials including Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Bengaluru, Shyam Singh, along with a doctor, rushed to the spot immediately with Accident Relief Train (ART) and Medical Equipment Van.
The Chief Public Relations Officer of South Western Railway Aneesh Hegde, who had initially said five coaches have derailed, later clarified that there were seven coaches and not five.
He also said that a team led by DRM Salem has also proceeded to the spot along with ART from Erode.
The unaffected rear portion of six coaches, along with passengers, was cleared towards Toppuru and further to Salem. The restoration work is in progress. Boulders were being removed with earthmoving equipment, the official said.
"This will be halted at Toppuru. Fifteen buses are being arranged at Toppuru for the convenience of passengers. Five buses are being arranged at the spot of the accident," he said, adding, water and light refreshment have been arranged at spot.
The Railways has opened Help Desk at Hosur 04344-222603, Bengaluru 080-22156554 and Dharmapuri 04342-232111.
Senior officials are monitoring the situation closely, Hegde said.
Buses have been arranged for transporting passengers to Bengaluru, the officials said, adding tea and snacks were provided to them.
Following the derailment, Bengaluru-Ernakulam Superfast Express, Nagarkoil-Bengaluru Festival Special and Salem-Yesvantpur Express Special trains have been diverted.
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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.
