Tens of thousands evacuated from path of Philippines typhoon

A man rests inside a church after residents evacuated their homes due to super-typhoon Hagupit in Tacloban city, central Philippines December 5, 2014. REUTERS/Rowel Montes

MANILA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people fled coastal villages and landslide-prone areas in the central Philippines on Friday, a day before a powerful typhoon was expected to hit the island nation where thousands were killed in a devastating storm 13 months ago.

Typhoon Hagupit had weakened slightly as it churned slowly across the Pacific and was no longer a category 5 "super typhoon", the Philippine weather bureau PAGASA said, but was likely to remain destructive when it makes landfall on Saturday.