China braces for 16th typhoon of the year

South China's Guangdong Province is bracing for the impact of Bebinca, the 16th typhoon of the year, which is expected to make landfall between early morning and noon Wednesday, local authorities said.

Guangdong has prolonged a fishing ban scheduled to end Wednesday, until Friday, and firefighting authorities have activated emergency responses in nine cities.

The strong tropical storm is expected to land on the coast between Zhuhai and Dianbai. It will bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to west Guangdong and cities in the Pearl River Delta from Tuesday night to Thursday, according to the provincial meteorological center.

Precipitation caused by the upcoming typhoon has hit the cities of Maoming, Yangjiang, Jiangmen, Yunfu and Zhuhai for days, according to the local civil affairs authorities.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the heavy rain left three people dead and two more missing, while forcing evacuation of 47,300 people.

More than 2,700 shelters have been open, with beds, quilts, clothes, food and bottled water allocated to help affected residents.