MANILA • A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake shook the southern Philippines yesterday, sending frightened residents fleeing from buildings, officials and eyewitnesses said.

The quake struck off the coast of the southern town of Manay at 3.16pm at a depth of 14km, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in a statement.

While there were no immediate reports of serious destruction, the institute said it expects the earthquake to have caused some damage.

"A lot of people ran from their homes because a lot of items were falling inside," Phivolcs science researcher John Deximo said.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

At least two people were killed and scores injured when a 6.5-magnitude quake struck the central Philippines in July last year.

The most recent major quake to hit the Philippines was in 2013, when a 7.1-magnitude quake left more than 220 people dead and destroyed historic churches in the central islands.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE