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.

Around 255,000 people have fled their homes ahead of the super typhoon, the sixth major storm to hit the country in the past month.

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.

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

A powerful storm sweeping towards the Philippines intensified into a super typhoon on Saturday, the state weather forecaster said,

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.

The Philippines is preparing for another dangerous storm system, as it recovers from the aftermath of Typhoon Usagi.