Shanghai cancels hundreds of flights as Typhoon Bebinca draws near

BANGKOK (AP) — Shanghai's airports were canceling hundreds of flights Sunday as they brace for impact from Typhoon Bebinca, which is due to make landfall in the early hours of Monday morning, the authorities said.

Flights past 8 p.m. local time will be canceled at Hongqiao and Pudong airports in the city, airport officials said in a statement, affecting more than 600 flights. The city also announced that it was suspending travel on some bridges while restricting movement on other highways.

Typhoon Bebinca is a few hundred kilometers away from the coast.

The typhoon's winds are expected to reach 151 kph (nearly 94 mph) by Sunday night, according to the China Meteorological Administration, which has categorized it as a strong typhoon.

State media reported that 377, 000 people had been evacuated from across Shanghai. Meanwhile, in the nearby city of Zhoushan, restaurants, supermarkets and shops shut down early for the day, and public transportation services were halted.

The storm is expected to bring up to 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of rain to parts of the eastern coast that will be hardest hit, according to state media.