Massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits the Philippines

A massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake has rocked the Philippines but poses no tsunami threat to Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology has said.

A massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake has hit the Philippines, shattering windows of buildings at the epicentre and shaking high-rise towers more than 300 kilometres away in the capital Manila.

The earthquake struck the mountainous province of Abra on the main island of Luzon at a depth of 40 km, at 8.43am local time the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said on Wednesday.

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An earthquake of 7.1 magnitude started in the northern part of the Phillippines' main island of Luzon. Picture: EGA

But according to the Bureau of Meteorology, the earthquake – which is considered “shallow” – does not pose a tsunami threat to Australia.

Monitoring stations in Taiwan recorded the massive earthquake that struck northern Phillippines. Picture: EGA

In Dolores, which felt the full force of the quake, terrified people ran outside their buildings and windows of the local market were shattered, Police Major Edwin Sergio told AFP.

“The quake was very strong,” Sergio said, adding there were minor cracks in the police station building.

So far, no casualties or major damage have been reported.

The Philippines is regularly rocked by quakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

- With AFP

Originally published as Massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits the Philippines