A 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed at least five people in the northern Philippines Wednesday, toppling buildings and shaking high-rise towers more than 300 kilometres (185 miles) away in the capital Manila.

The shallow and powerful quake struck the mountainous and lightly populated province of Abra on the main island of Luzon at 8:43 am (0043 GMT), the US Geological Survey said.

Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones. This one left more than a hundred people injured across the hilly region, triggered dozens of landslides, damaged buildings, and knocked out power.

A huge earthquake hit the Philippines on Wednesday
A huge earthquake hit the Philippines on Wednesday AFP / STAFF

"We felt really strong shaking. We started shouting and rushed outside," said university student Mira Zapata in the San Juan municipality of Abra, which took the full force of the quake.

"Our house is OK but houses down the hill were damaged."

As buildings shook and walls cracked in the municipality of Dolores, people ran outside, Police Major Edwin Sergio told AFP.

"The quake was very strong," Sergio said, adding that windows of the local market were broken.

Residents evacuate a building after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, some 300 kilometers away, was felt in Manila
Residents evacuate a building after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, some 300 kilometers away, was felt in Manila AFP / JAM STA ROSA

In Bangued, the provincial capital of Abra, a 23-year-old woman was killed after a wall fell on her, police said. At least 78 were injured in the province.

A video posted on Facebook and verified by AFP showed cracks in the asphalt road and ground in Bangued.

"Some of the buildings here show cracks," police chief Major Nazareno Emia added. "Power was cut off and internet as well."

Residents of buildings in Manila stand outside after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake some 300 kilometers away was felt in Manila
Residents of buildings in Manila stand outside after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake some 300 kilometers away was felt in Manila AFP / JAM STA ROSA

Two construction workers in the nearby landlocked province of Benguet died in separate incidents, police said.

Another person was killed when boulders smashed into the building site where he was working in Kalinga province, police said. Six other workers were injured.

Police said an elderly woman in Suyo municipality in Ilocos Sur province suffered fatal injuries after she was buried by a landslide while out walking.

In Vigan City, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Ilocos Sur, centuries-old structures built during the Spanish colonial period were damaged, police said.

Manila residents evacuate a building after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, about 300 kilometers away, was felt in the city
Manila residents evacuate a building after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, about 300 kilometers away, was felt in the city AFP / JAM STA ROSA

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.

The province of Abra in northern Philippines took the full force of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake
The province of Abra in northern Philippines took the full force of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake Office of Abra Representative Ching Bernos via AFP / Handout

Wednesday's quake was one of the strongest recorded in the Philippines in years and was felt across swathes of Luzon island, the most populous in the archipelago.

It was followed by nearly 300 aftershocks, the local seismological agency said. Several of the subsequent quakes measured from magnitude 4.7 to 5.2, according to USGS.

Residents and office workers in Manila were evacuated from high-rise buildings.

"I grabbed money and our belongings and then I went out with my parents," said Christina Gonzales, 19, after fleeing a city hotel.

Verified video footage posted on Facebook showed the Bantay Bell Tower in the popular tourist destination of Vigan partially crumbling.

Two visitors suffered minor injuries from falling debris, an official said.

Other buildings in the city were also damaged.

"We can't rule out the possibility of another strong earthquake," said Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose family stronghold is in the north, said he would delay visiting the region to avoid causing disruption.

He urged people to remain in emergency shelters until their homes have been checked for damage.

Military personnel have been deployed to Abra to help with rescue operations.

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National disaster agency spokesman Mark Timbal said road-clearing operations were under way. There had been no reports of damage to local dams.

In October 2013, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Bohol Island in the central Philippines, killing more than 200 people and triggering landslides.

Old churches in the birthplace of Catholicism in the Philippines were badly damaged. Nearly 400,000 were displaced and tens of thousands of houses were damaged.

The powerful quake altered the island's landscape and a "ground rupture" pushed up a stretch of ground by about three metres, creating a wall of rock above the epicentre.

In 1990, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in the northern Philippines created a ground rupture stretching over a hundred kilometres.

Fatalities were estimated to reach over 1,200, with major damage to buildings in Manila.