One dead as strong earthquake hits Philippines

A strong earthquake struck the central Philippines on Thursday killing at least one person and damaging several houses and some infrastructure, officials said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said aftershocks were expected but ruled out any tsunami following the earthquake of magnitude 6.5 that rocked the towns of Jaro and Kananga in Leyte province.

Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez from the province said one person had been confirmed killed and Kananga had been "badly hit".

"There were cracks on the roads and in some areas landslides have been reported," she told ANC News Channel, adding that a building also collapsed.

"The aftershocks are still quite strong."

The U.S. Geological Survey said earlier the quake had a magnitude of 6.9 and struck southwest of Tacloban City, one of the areas hardest hit by a typhoon in 2013.

Tacloban's mayor, Cristina Romualdez, said she received no reports of casualty or damage in her area.