MANILA – A 6.1-magnitude earthquake rocked the central Philippines early on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, with the local seismological agency warning of aftershocks and possible damage.

The strong and shallow quake struck off Masbate province at the centre of the archipelago nation shortly after 2am local time, jolting people awake.

The epicentre was 11km from the nearest village of Miaga, in Uson municipality, on the province’s main island of Masbate, USGS said.

Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

No tsunami warning was issued.

“It was a bit strong,” Masbate provincial police chief Rolly Albana said. “I was sleeping when we were shaken and woken up.”

Mr Albana said police had not reported any effects of the quake.

Uson police chief Reden Tolledo said some residents fled their homes. “Even I went outside because of possible aftershocks,” he said.

Mr Gregorio Adigue, a disaster officer in Dimasalang municipality, said he felt a strong aftershock nearly an hour after the quake.

But buildings and other structures in the area did not appear to be damaged, he said.

“Later, we will go around schools in each village to inspect their buildings,” Mr Adigue said.

The Masbate education department reportedly suspended classes for Thursday because of “continuous aftershocks being felt” in the province.

Quakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through South-east Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Most quakes are too weak to be felt by humans, but strong and destructive ones come at random, with no technology available to predict when and where they will happen.

The Philippines’ civil defence office regularly holds drills simulating earthquake scenarios along active fault lines.

The last major quake in the country was in October.

The 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the mountain town of Dolores in the northern province of Abra, injuring several people, damaging buildings and cutting power to most of the region.

A 7.0-magnitude quake in mountainous Abra last July triggered landslides and ground fissures, killing 11 people and injuring several hundred. AFP