Over 150 workers fall sick after gas leak in Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam, Jun 3: Over 150 women, working in an apparel manufacturing unit in the Brandix Special Economic Zone (SEZ), near here, fell sick following a suspected ammonia gas leak from a nearby chemical laboratory on Friday. No casualties were reported.
The gas was suspected to have leaked from Porus Laboratories unit located outside the SEZ at Atchyutapuram but its impact was felt in the apparel unit inside the SEZ, where some of the women workers immediately fell unconscious after complaining of eyesore, nausea and vomiting.
Damaged scrubbers in the unit were said to have resulted in the gas leak, officials said after preliminary investigation.
The apparel-manufacturing units in the SEZ were immediately shut down as a precautionary measure and personnel at work in other units were evacuated to safety.
The entire area has been sanitised following the incident.
State Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath told PTI that the affected workers were stable and the situation was now under control.
Only a few workers fell unconscious while most others suffered irritation in eyes and nausea. They were taken to hospitals in Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam for treatment, Amarnath said.
Anakapalli district medical and health officer Hemanth Kumar said many of the workers have recovered after first-aid was administered.
Some of the workers were moved to private hospitals in Anakapalli where we have kept them under observation. There is no danger to anyone, the DMHO said.
District Superintendent of Police Gautami Sali said they were investigating into the cause of the incident.
The workers are stable and the situation is under control, she added.
Around lunchtime on Friday, workers in the seed apparel unit starting complaining of irritation in eyes, nausea and giddiness as a pungent odour suddenly filled the air.
They were first taken to the health centre in the SEZ and later taken to hospitals in Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam.
Officials from the AP Pollution Control Board reached the Porus' unit and, along with the engineers, plugged the gas leak.
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy spoke to senior officials about the gas leak and directed them to take immediate steps to prevent such incidents in future.
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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.
