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WORLD NEWS Saturday 9 February 2019

Dreams to tragedy: Fire kills 10 at Brazilian soccer academy

By PETER PRENGAMAN and Flamengo is perhaps the
MARCELO SILVA DE SOUSA most famous club in the
Associated Press country, with an estimated
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — 40 million fans nationwide.
A fire early Friday swept Supporters are so attached
through the sleeping quar- to their academy team
ters of an academy for that players have a motto
Brazil’s popular professional for them:
soccer club Flamengo, kill- “Flamengo makes legends
ing 10 people and injuring at home.”
three, most likely teenage Among the most famous
players, authorities said. players to come through
Firefighters were called just the club are Ronaldinho
after 5 a.m. to the sprawl- and Zico, former stars on
ing Ninho de Urubu training Brazil’s national team; top
grounds in Rio de Janeiro’s goal-scorer Adriano, who
western region. Overhead rose to fame at Inter Milan;
images captured by an and current Real Madrid
Associated Press drone star Vinicius, Jr., who not
showed a smoky, charred long ago was living in the
area of the complex. building destroyed by the
“We are distraught,” Fla- fire.
mengo President Rodolfo The identities of those killed
Landim said outside the were not released but their
complex, where friends, Debris from the deadly fire at the Flamengo soccer club training complex litters the ground in names emerged through
fans and neighbors gath- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Feb. 8, 2019. family members and survi-
ered, some in prayer. “This Associated Press vors.
is the worst tragedy to hap- ditioning unit. It is currently uel Thomas Rosa, said his Passion for soccer runs Beatriz Busch, the public
pen to the club in its 123 summer in Brazil. nephew never complained deep in Brazil, and as news health secretary for the
years.” In a statement, the city said about the conditions. of the tragedy spread, state of Rio de Janeiro, said
He did not take questions the area that burned was “He never told me any- many of the world’s best two of the injured were in
from reporters who also registered for parking, not thing bad about the train- players and top officials ex- stable condition while a
were outside the complex as a dormitory. The state- ing center,” Rodriguez said. pressed condolences. third was in critical condi-
but added: “The most im- ment said an investigation “He liked the environment “It’s a sad day for Brazil- tion. The ages of the in-
portant thing right now is into the licensing process and his teammates there.” ian soccer,” tweeted Pele, jured were 14, 15 and 16,
to minimize the suffering of was under way. Rio de Janeiro Mayor Mar- the country’s most famous according to a fire official
these families.” Latin America’s largest na- celo Crivella ordered three player. who spoke on condition
The cause of the fire was tion suffers from shoddy in- days of mourning, and Pres- Chapecoense, a team in of anonymity because of
not known, but Claudio frastructure, often exacer- ident Jair Bolsonaro issued southern Brazil that lost 22 agency rules.
Castro, vice governor of bated by lax oversight and a statement lamenting the players in a plane crash in Several people who ap-
the state of Rio de Janeiro, endemic corruption. fire had taken “the young 2016, said on Twitter: “We peared to be relatives en-
said authorities were look- Sebastian Rodriguez, the lives at the beginning of are extremely sad and tered the complex with-
ing at the possibility of a uncle of one of the players pursuing their professional shaken by the news of the out speaking to reporters.
short circuit in an air con- who died, 15-year-old Sam- dreams.” fire.” Some were crying.q

Sierra Leone president declares rape a national emergency

By CLARENCE ROY-MA- saying that some 70 per- that he wants to increase
CAULAY cent of victims are under awareness.
Associated Press age 15. The government will en-
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone The current law carries a gage communities and
(AP) — Sierra Leone’s presi- maximum penalty of 15 civil society in dialogue
dent has declared a na- years, and very few cases to end the scourge that is
tional emergency over have been prosecuted. slowly wrecking the nation,
rape and sexual violence, “With this declaration, I the president said.
saying perpetrators are have also directed the fol- That will involve addressing
getting younger and their lowing: that all government gaps in the Sexual Offenc-
acts more violent. hospitals must provide free es Act of 2012, he said.
In a keynote address on medical treatment and Bio also ordered the cre-
Thursday, President Julius certificate to every victim ation of a special police
Maada Bio said hundreds of rape and sexual abuse,” division for rape and sexual
of cases of rape and sexual he said. violence against minors.
assault are reported each Bio’s declaration comes af- Dr. Olabisi Claudius Cole, In this Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 file photo, Sierra Leone President
month in the West African ter months of campaigning head of the Rainbo Ini- Julius Maada Bio addresses the 73rd session of the United
nation against women, girls by activists. tiative that provides free Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters.
Associated Press
and babies as young as Thousands of cases are medical and psychosocial
three months old. unreported because of a services for survivors of gen- violence in Sierra Leone. said. First Lady Fatima Bio
Those who sexually assault culture of silence or indiffer- der-based violence, called It had been made possible said all forms of sexual vio-
minors will face life in impris- ence, leaving victims trau- the president’s declaration by the tireless voices of lence are unacceptable
on, the president declared, matized, he said, adding a landmark in tackling such survivors and activists, she and menaces to society.q