A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked the region south of the Philippine capital on Friday, causing buildings in Manila to sway, seismologists said.

The authorities said they were checking whether the quake had caused any damage.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told AFP the quake struck just off the coast of  Lian, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of Manila at 1:28 pm (0528 GMT), at a relatively deep 173 kilometres.

The Philippine seismologists measured it at 6.1 magnitude while the US Geological Survey put it at 6.2.

AFP