12 killed, 3 injured as bus falls into gorge in Kullu
Shimla/Manali (PTI): Twelve passengers were killed and three others injured after a bus fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Monday, officials said.
Initial reports had put the death toll at 16.
The bus was on its way to Kullu from Shainsher when it fell into the gorge at a hairpin bend near Jangla village around 8.30 am, the officials said.
Dead Jhablu Devi's brother-in-law Tej Prakash alleged callous attitude on the part of the authorities in rescuing the victims.
"It took almost three hours to take Jhablu Devi from the accident site to the hospital. Had the administration acted swiftly, some lives could have been saved," he said.
The dead have been identified as Tanu, Prem Chand, Fateh Chand, Anita Devi, Susheel Kumar, Khim Dasi, Roshi Devi, Parvati Devi, Jhablu Devi, Amit Kumar Rajak, Aaksh and Rakhi Maya.
Injured Mahender Singh, Sanjay Kumar and bus conductor Gopal have been admitted to the Kullu regional hospital for treatment. The president and the prime minister have condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
President Ram Nath Kovind said he was distressed to learn about the death of students and other people in the accident.
Condoling the loss of lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who died. The injured will be given Rs 50,000 each, the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also expressed grief over the tragic bus accident.
Thakur said a magisterial inquiry has been ordered and the Kullu ADM will probe the whole incident.
The CM said Rs 5 lakh will be provided to the next of the kin of the each dead whereas Rs 15,000 will be provided as immediate relief to the each injured. He said free treatment will also be given to the injured persons.
Thakur thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the each dead and Rs 50,000 for the each 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.
