At least one person was killed and 43 injured when a 6.6-magnitude earthquake shook the central Philippines on Tuesday, sending residents fleeing their homes and damaging buildings and roads.

One dead, dozens injured as strong quake hits central Philippines on Tuesday. Photo: VCG

The quake struck southeast of Masbate Island in the Bicol region at 8:03 am (00:03 GMT).

"There are a lot of damaged houses," said Staff Sergeant Antonio Clemente in Cataingan, a town on the impoverished Masbate Island several kilometers west of the epicenter in the Samar Sea. 

"It was really strong."

Local radio station reporter Christopher Decamon said he saw emergency workers pull the body of a man from the rubble of a three-storey house on the outskirts of Cataingan. The man's wife escaped unharmed.

The earthquake "was really strong. Our people were broadcasting at the time but they just ran out of the building," Decamon told AFP by telephone.

Police confirmed the man's death. Sixteen people were also injured in the town. In nearby Palanas, at least 27 people were injured after being hit by falling objects or when their motorbikes crashed as the ground moved in the town, Chris Adique, a municipal disaster officer, told DZBB radio. None were in a critical condition. 

Search and rescue efforts were still under way in the region.
Newspaper headline: Philippine quake kills 1, injures dozens