Before you read
Subject: The mayor of Xingtai City in north China’s Hebei Province apologized Saturday night for inadequate responses to the storms that have caused 25 deaths and 13 missing in the city
Excerpt: English text from the archived bilingual edition · Chinese edition
Reference text and retained source material
The mayor of Xingtai City in north China’s Hebei Province apologized Saturday night for inadequate responses to the storms that have caused 25 deaths and 13 missing in the city
Dong Xiaoyu said the government had underestimated the intensity of the rainfall, been insufficient in emergency ability, and late and inaccurate when it came to disaster assessment
"I am deeply sorry for failing to protect people’s lives and properties, no matter howserious the natural disaster is," Dong said
"On behalf of the city Party committee and government, I pay deepest condolences to the victims and their relatives, and apologize tothe public."
Dong said the city has initiated an accountability investigation and will punish those responsible for the tragedy
Torrential rain and floods have left 114 people dead and 111 others missing in Hebei as of 6 p.m. on Saturday, according to the provincial civil affairs bureau
Language and reading: using this material
Compare wording, tone and information order across complete passages. Positions, prices, policies, exams and statistics retain their original context and should be verified before practical use.
