4,320 rescued in Kodagu; rescue work in final phase
Kodagu (Karnataka), Aug 20 : About 4,320 marooned people have been rescued till Monday morning in flood-hit Kodagu district in Karnataka as the rescue work entered its final stage in search of nearly 50 persons reportedly missing or stranded, an official said.
"The rescue work has entered its final stage. The 4,320 who have been rescued have been shifted to 41 relief camps in the district," a Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority official told IANS.
Teams from the Indian Army and Navy along with state officials were screening the villages and towns to rescue anyone still stranded, he added.
The district administration along with the rescue teams are also on the lookout for about 50 persons reportedly missing in the district.
Cut off by landslides and damaged roads, the coffee-growing district, located in the Western Ghats, has been the worst affected in the state due to southwest monsoon since June first week.
The state's emergency operation centre did not get any distress call on Monday, said the official who did not wish to be named.
The unabated rains, leading to flooding and landslips, have claimed eight lives in the district, according to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's office.
About 50 Dogra Regiment soldiers, 12 naval divers, 62 officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 750 fire service officials and Home Guards with boats and hundreds of volunteers have been carrying out relief work.
The Air Force is using M-17 helicopters to airlift the marooned. In all, 1,194 specialised rescuers from the state and central agencies are involved in the drive.
With several relief camps sheltering more people than they can accommodate, the district administration on Monday asked volunteers, NGOs in the state to donate relief materials including clothing, raincoats, kitchen utensils and first aid equipment among other things.
The state-run Karnataka State Road Transport Corp (KSRTC) has resumed all its intra-state bus services towards Madikeri in Kodagu district and flood-hit Kerala.
The bus services were suspended due to flooding and damaged roads due to landslides.
About 123 km of roads are estimated to be damaged due to the rains, while more than 800 homes have been destroyed. Most of the district's arterial roads have been damaged in landslides.
Over the past 24 hours, Kodagu district received an average of 6.1 cm of rainfall, while few regions received a maximum rainfall of up to 10.3 cm, according to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC).
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts moderate to heavy rains to continue across coastal districts of Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada till Wednesday.
The heavy rains in coastal district of Dakshina Kannada have claimed one life so far, forcing nearly 800 people to shelter in temporary shelters.
The Met office predicts light to moderate rains in south interior districts, including Kodagu, over the next two days.
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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.
