FOUR government officials in North China’s Hebei Province were suspended from their posts for dereliction of duty in the response to floods that have left 114 people dead and 111 others missing, the provincial Party committee said yesterday.

    The four officials include two officials in Xingtai City, a chief engineer of the transport bureau of Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital, and a deputy head of Jingxing County.

    They will be subject to accountability investigations and could face further punishment, according to the committee.

    State Councilor Wang Yong yesterday went to Hebei to oversee the disaster relief and relocation work.

    More than 300,000 people were evacuated in Hebei, and the province made another round of appropriations of tents, blankets, rain boots and generators, local civil affairs department said.

    Flooding and rain-triggered landslides have caused the collapse of 52,900 houses and damage to 155,000. Over 700,000 hectares of crops have also been destroyed, leading to direct economic losses of over 16 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion).

    The worst-hit Daxian Village of Xingtai City was almost empty after a flash flood swamped it early Wednesday morning. At least eight villagers were killed and one remains missing.

    “ I heard people yelling ‘flood’ at about 2:30 a.m. I woke up my wife and children and rushed out of the door immediately. In no time the water level was above my waist,” said Zhang Erqiang, a local villager.

    “My wife and I panicked and we climbed to a tree, and stayed there for several hours until rescuers arrived in the morning,” Zhang said. “But our daughter and son were washed away and their bodies were just found,” he burst into tears.

    Jingxing County, located in the west of the province, saw an average precipitation of 545.4 mm in the 19 hours between 1 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday, surpassing the amount received by the county in the whole of 2015.

    There have been power outages, disruptions to communication and other infrastructures, and road closures across Jingxing.

    Xingtai’s mayor Dong Xiaoyu apologized Saturday night for inadequate responses to the floods that killed 25 people in the city. Another 13 went missing.

    He said the city 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 how serious the natural disaster is,” Dong said. “On behalf of the city’s Party committee and government, I pay deepest condolences to the victims and their relatives, and apologize to the public.”

    Dong said the city has initiated an accountability investigation and will punish those responsible for the tragedy.

    (Xinhua)