Four people died and 60 were injured after a strong earthquake struck the northern part of the Philippines, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos said.

Two victims were in Benguet province, one in Abra province, and one more in another province, he said.

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 shook the northern Philippine island of Luzon, causing damage to some of the buildings and was also felt in the capital Manila, Reuters reported.

The epicenter of the earthquake was about 11 kilometers southeast of the city of Dolores at a depth of about 10 kilometers, according to data from the US Geological Survey.

"Despite the sad news of harvests and damage caused by the earthquake, we guarantee a quick response to those affected by this disaster," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Facebook.

The head of the state seismology agency, Renato Solidium, told local radio that strong aftershocks were expected.

A magnitude 7 earthquake hits the Philippines

"We have focused our attention in Abra and the provinces nearby. This is a major earthquake," he added.

The affected buildings are 173. The quake also caused 58 landslides, the Philippine interior minister said.

He specified that 44 of the 60 injured were in Abra province.

Because of the earthquake, several buildings were evacuated in Manila, and the subway there was stopped at peak.

The Philippines is prone to natural disasters and is located on the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire," a strip of volcanoes and fault lines that runs along the borders of the Pacific Ocean.

Earthquakes are common and there are an average of 20 typhoons each year, some of which trigger deadly landslides.

earthquake in the Philippines

casualties and wounded