The strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since at least 1949 made landfall early Monday with powerful winds and heavy rains after more than 400,000 people were evacuated.

Flights, ferries and train services were suspended in the megacity and in neighboring provinces, disrupting travel during China’s three-day Mid-Autumn Festival. Shanghai’s airports canceled hundreds of flights starting Sunday and through Monday, while in Hangzhou, about 170 kilometers (106 miles) southwest of Shanghai, authorities were also planning to cancel more than 180 flights.

More than 60,000 emergency responders and firefighters were at hand to lend aid in Shanghai, according to state media. More than 414,000 people had been evacuated by Monday.

Bebinca made landfall around 7:30 a.m. in the sprawling Pudong business district with maximum winds of 151 kph (94 mph) near its center. Authorities expected the typhoon would also affect the nearby provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui.
Shanghai, which has 25 million people, is rarely hit by strong typhoons, which usually make landfall further south in China.

Typhoon Yagi hit China’s southern Hainan island earlier this month and has caused devastation in Southeast Asia. In Myanmar, Yagi caused at least 74 deaths with dozens missing. Four deaths were reported in Hainan, at least 10 have died in Thailand and 20 in the Philippines.

Vietnam has reported more than 230 people killed in the typhoon and subsequent flooding and landslides, with dozens more still missing.

Source: AP
--Agencies