Road crash in UP leaves 8 dead; PM announces Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for kin of deceased
Siddharthnagar (UP)(PTI): An SUV carrying a marriage party rammed into a stationary truck here killing eight people and injuring three, police said on Sunday.
The incident occurred around 1 am near Katya village in the Jogia Udaypur area. The SUV was returning to Mahla village from a wedding ceremony at Mahuwara in Shivnagar, they said.
Of the 11 people travelling in the car, four died on the spot and others were rushed to a hospital, where four more died during treatment.
Those killed have been identified as Sachin Pal (16), Mukesh Pal (35), Lalaram Paswan (26), Shiv Sagar (18), Ravi Paswan (19), Pintu Gupta (25), Ram Baran (35), and driver Gaurav Maurya (22), police said.
Ram Baran was admitted to the medical college in Gorakhpur where he died.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased.
"The road accident in Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh, is very painful. My condolences are with the bereaved families. May God give them the strength to bear this immense sorrow," Modi was quoted as saying by his office.
The prime minister also wished a speedy recovery to all the injured.
"The prime minister has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in an accident in Siddharthnagar, UP. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also condoled the death and directed officials to ensure the best treatment for the injured.
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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.
