Residents told to evacuate as super typhoon Man-Yi nears Philippines

More than 500,000 people in the region's six provinces have been evacuated as the typhoon intensifies

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.

Man-Yi, the sixth tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines in a month, intensified with maximum sustained winds reaching 195 kph (121 mph) and gusts up to 240 kph, according to state weather agency PAGASA.

This prompted it to raise its storm alert to its highest level for the provinces of Catanduanes and Camarines Sur in the central Bicol region.

Ariel Nepomuceno, head of the Office of Civil Defense, urged residents in the typhoon's projected path to comply with evacuation orders as Man-Yi threatened to unleash heavy rains and powerful winds that could trigger floods and storm surges.

"It is more dangerous now for those in landslide-prone areas because the ground has been saturated by the consecutive typhoons," Nepomuceno said, warning that storm surges could reach 3 metres (10 ft).

PAGASA warned that the typhoon continues to be a "potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation" for the Bicol region.

More than 500,000 people in the region's six provinces have been evacuated, a disaster official told DZRH radio, adding the number is expected to rise as local authorities mobilise more residents.

As of 5 p.m. (0900 GMT), PAGASA reported that the storm was located 120 km east of Catanduanes and was projected to make landfall late Saturday night or Sunday morning.