BEIJING (AP) – Two people died in China’s eastern Jiangsu province as Typhoon Bebinca brought torrential rains and powerful winds before easing into a tropical storm, state media reported yesterday.
Two residents of Zhoushi Town, about 80 kilometres northwest of Shanghai, were hit by a falling high-voltage power line and electrocuted on Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
They are the only known deaths thus far to be caused by Bebinca, which swept over the megacity of Shanghai and neighbouring provinces on Monday, flooding roads with water and broken tree branches and knocking out power to some homes.
One resident of Shanghai’s Chongming Island was also reported injured by a falling tree. More than 414,000 people were evacuated ahead of the powerful winds and torrential rain.
Schools were closed and people were advised to stay indoors, while flights, ferries and train services were suspended.
The typhoon weakened as it moved inland. Around 2am yesterday, it was downgraded to a tropical storm. The National Meteorological Centre warned that parts of Anhui, Henan, Hebei, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces could see heavy or torrential rains, with up to 20 centimetres of rainfall, through to this afternoon.
