Breaking News English

Germany's leader has [expressive / expressed] her fears about climate change after visiting the devastation caused by the [severe / several] flooding in Europe. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was [horrific / horrified] by the destruction across [swathes / clothes] of her country. She visited some of the hardest-hit areas in Germany and listened to [accounts / account] of the disaster from [local / locale] residents. She told reporters: "It's shocking. I can [pretty / beauty] much say that the German language does not have words to describe the destruction that has been [wrecked / wreaked] ." Ms Merkel said the world had to escalate its efforts to [tackle / foul] the climate crisis. She said: "We must hurry. We have to be faster [in / on] the fight against climate change."

Torrential rains caused many of Europe's major rivers to [swollen / swell] and overflow last week. Many [burst / worst] their banks and caused flash floods in [near / adjacent] towns and villages. The floodwaters washed away houses, roads and bridges across Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The [death / dead] toll stands at 190, with many more people missing. Towns are now covered in [hubris / debris] . The floods reshaped many parts of towns beyond [recognition / recognise] , which Ms Merkel described as [being / been] "surreal". Armin Laschet, the premier of the flood-stricken state of North-Rhine Westphalia, said the clean-up [surgery / operation] would take "years". He [questioned / asked] Germany's preparedness for floods and the effectiveness of [floods / flood] defences.