A potentially catastrophic super typhoon has made landfall in the Philippines - the sixth typhoon to hit the country in a month. Man-Yi, known locally as Pepito, touched down at 21:40 local time (13:40 GMT) with maximum wind speeds of 195 km/h (121mph) along the coast of the eastern Catanduanes island, the state forecaster said.

The storm was packing destructive winds with speeds equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. Forecasters warned of a “potentially catastrophic” situation.

MANILA (Reuters) -Philippine authorities issued an urgent appeal on Saturday for residents in low-lying areas and coastal towns to move to safety as super typhoon Man-Yi gained strength on its approach towards the country's main Luzon island.

Tens of thousands fled their homes with Super Typhoon Man-yi bearing down on the Philippines. It's the sixth major storm to hit the country in the past month.

Nearly 180,000 people in the central region of Bicol have been evacuated, data from the disaster agency showed. Man-yi, locally known as Pepito, would be the sixth tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines in a month.

The Philippines evacuated tens of thousands of people from their homes and cancelled dozens of flights on Saturday, as a super typhoon threatened to unleash heavy rains and powerful winds that could trigger floods and storm surges.

Tropical cyclone Man-yi has strengthened into a super typhoon, threatening to bring intense rains and high waves on the Philippines’ main island that’s still reeling from a string of storms in recent weeks.

A super typhoon sweeping towards the Philippines on Saturday was intensifying and could have a "potentially catastrophic" impact, the state weather forecaster warned, with millions of people at risk f