Shanghai hit by strongest typhoon in 75 years

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated as a powerful typhoon made landfall near China’s financial hub, Shanghai.

Typhoon Bebinca hit at about 07:30 local time (23:30 GMT) on Monday in the coastal area of Lingang New City in Shanghai’s east, the China Meteorological Administration said.

It is the strongest storm to hit Shanghai in 75 years, according to Chinese state media.

As a precaution, more than 400,000 people in the Shanghai Metropolitan area were relocated by Sunday evening, according to local officials.

A further 9,000 people were evacuated from the 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 grounded all flights. Train services were also cancelled and highways closed. A 40km/h (25mph) speed limit was imposed on roads inside the city.

Shanghai’s 25 million residents had been advised to stay home as the storm batters the city.

Authorities have issued a red alert for Bebinca, the highest level, as wind speeds of up to 151km/h (94 mph) were recorded at the typhoon’s eye. It is expected to weaken as it moves inland.

Videos posted online showed large trees toppled and people dragging their bicycles and motorcycles through flooded streets. A clip shared by Shanghai Daily showed a bus braking abruptly along Huaihai Road in a major shopping district as billboards blown by fierce winds collapsed onto the ground.

The storm was one of the most-discussed topics on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Monday, with some users sharing their fears that it would worsen.

“This is the kind of thing you’d only see on television,” wrote one Weibo user, who posted a video of trees swaying violently in a car park.

Another user advised others to make sure their doors and windows are properly locked and not to leave their homes unnecessarily.

It is rare for Shanghai to get a direct hit from strong typhoons, which tend to make landfall further south in China.

The city’s flood control headquarters said they received dozens of reports of incidents related to the typhoon – mostly fallen trees and billboards.

Resorts in Shanghai, including Shanghai Disney Resort, Jinjiang Amusement Park and Shanghai Wild Animal Park, have been temporarily closed and many ferries halted.

Another typhoon, Yagi, killed at least four people and injured 95 when it passed through China’s southern Hainan island this month, according to national weather authorities.

Yagi also caused severe flooding in Southeast Asia, killing hundreds of people 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 north-west, causing heavy rain and high winds in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.

With additional reporting by Kelly Ng, BBC News