Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated as a powerful typhoon makes landfall near China’s financial hub, Shanghai.
Typhoon Bebinca made landfall at around 7:30 a.m. local time (23:30 GMT) on Monday in the coastal area of Lingang New City east of Shanghai, the China Meteorological Administration said.
According to Chinese state media, this is the strongest storm to hit Shanghai in 75 years.
As a precaution, more than 400,000 people in the Shanghai metropolitan area were evacuated on Sunday evening, according to local officials.
Another 9,000 people were evacuated from Chongming district, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River that is also part of Shanghai.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled as the city’s two main airports cancelled all flights. Train services were also cancelled and motorways were closed. A 40km/h (25mph) speed limit was imposed on roads within the city.
Shanghai’s 25 million residents have been advised to stay home as the typhoon hits the city.
Authorities have issued a red alert for Bebinca, the highest level, as winds of up to 151km/h (94mph) were recorded at the storm’s eye. The storm is expected to weaken as it moves inland.
Videos posted online showed large trees falling and people having to pull bicycles and motorbikes through flooded streets. A clip shared by Shanghai Daily shows a bus braking hard along Huaihai Road in a major shopping district as billboards are blown away by strong winds and collapse to the ground.
The storm was one of the most discussed topics on China’s social media platform Weibo on Monday, with some users sharing fears that the situation would get worse.
“This is the kind of phenomenon you can only see on TV,” one Weibo user wrote as he posted a video of trees swaying violently in the parking lot.
Another user advised people to make sure their doors and windows are locked properly and not to leave their homes unnecessarily.
It is rare for Shanghai to be directly affected by strong typhoons, which usually make landfall in southern China.
The city’s flood control agency said it received dozens of reports of storm-related incidents — mainly downed trees and billboards.
Resorts in Shanghai, including Shanghai Disney Resort, Jinjiang Theme Park and Shanghai Wildlife Park, have been temporarily closed and many ferries have been suspended.
Another storm, Yagi, killed at least four people and injured 95 as it passes over China’s southern Hainan Island this month, according to the national weather service.
Yagi also caused severe flooding in Southeast Asia, killing hundreds in Vietnam and Myanmar.
Typhoon Bebinca also passed through Japan and the central and southern Philippines, where falling trees killed six people.
Chinese state media said Bebinca was expected to move northwest, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.
With additional reporting by Kelly Ng, BBC News
