Tens of thousands flee homes as typhoon threatens Philippines

Hagupit builds strength, forces airlines to cancel some flights

Tens of thousands of people fled coastal villages and landslide-prone areas in the central Philippines on Friday, as Typhoon Hagupit bore down on eastern coasts of the island nation, where thousands were killed in a devastating storm last year.

Ports were shut across the archipelago, leaving more than 2,000 travelers stranded in Manila, in the central Bicol region and on Mindanao island in the south after the coast guard suspended sea travel ahead of the typhoon.