Manila skyline
Photo: NICKY LOH/ REUTERS
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3.
The US earthquake monitor USGS put the magnitude at 7.1.
The epicenter was in the province of Abra in the north of the island of Luzon, 335 kilometers north of the capital Manila.
The tremors were felt as far away as Manila, where people were evacuated from homes and offices.
The Senate was also vacated.
The subway stopped operating.
The Philippine authorities warned of possible damage from the quake.
There was initially no tsunami warning.
The Philippines lies on what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide beneath the earth's surface.
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are therefore not uncommon in the Southeast Asian country.
In 2013, 220 people were killed in the center of the Southeast Asian island state in the last violent earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1.
In July 1990, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 2,400 people on the island of Luzon.
Jul/dpa/AFP
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/S7ERVSCT4FUVX6R7TUVBDNTH5Y.jpg)
