Shanghai hit by strongest typhoon in more than 70 years as Bebinca makes landfall

Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest storm to hit Shanghai in 70 years, made landfall on Monday, state media reported. Flights were canceled, highways closed, and coastal residents evacuated as the city grappled with strong winds and heavy rain. A red alert remains in place, with Bebinca surpassing the impact of 1949’s Typhoon Gloria, city authorities confirmed.

The strongest storm to hit Shanghai in over 70 years made landfall on Monday, state media reported, with flights cancelled and highways closed as Typhoon Bebinca lashed the city with strong winds and torrential rains.

A red alert is in place, and some coastal residents have been evacuated, city authorities said.

The typhoon landed early Monday morning in the coastal area of Lingang New City, in Pudong to the city's east, the China Meteorological Administration said.

It was the strongest storm to hit Shanghai since Typhoon Gloria in 1949, state broadcaster CCTV said shortly after Bebinca made landfall.

The city's 25 million residents have been advised to avoid leaving their homes, and all flights at Shanghai's two main airports are grounded.

Nine thousand residents have been evacuated from Chongming District, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River, authorities said.

All highways were closed at 1:00 am local time (1700 GMT), and a 40 kilometre (25 mile) per hour speed limit is in place on roads inside the city.

CCTV broadcast footage of a reporter by the coast in neighbouring Zhejiang province, where waves pounded the craggy coastline under leaden skies.

(AFP)

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