Footage taken during a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines today shows the moment an electrical transformer exploded while tremors shook the country.

Three people have been confirmed dead in Padada but the full list of casualties is unknown, according to local media.

A child died in a village in Davao del Sur's Matanao town when a wall of her house tumbled down as the ground shook and hit her in the head, officials said.

The footage was recorded in Davao on the southern island of Mindanao, north of the quake's epicentre.

A bright flash of light is seen zipping across overhead cables before a loud explosion is heard.

Footage taken during a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines today shows the moment an electrical transformer exploded while tremors shook the country. The footage was recorded in Davao on the southern island of Mindanao, north of the quake's epicentre

A bright flash of light is seen zipping across overhead cables before a loud explosion is heard

People on the streets start screaming and running for cover.

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake hit South Cotabato at 2.11pm local time.

In some places, residents were trapped under collapsed structures. It is not yet known how many casualties there are.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there is no threat of a tsunami.

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake hit South Cotabato at 2.11pm local time

Officials confirmed there were a number of aftershocks across the region.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the magnitude 6.9 quake struck an area about 3.7 miles (six kilometres) northwest of Padada town in Davao del Sur province. It had a depth of 18 miles (30 kilometres).

Other terrifying footage showed water violently sloshing out of a hotel swimming pool in General Santos City, also on the island of Mindanao.

According to local media a three-storey shopping centre has collapsed and staff and customers are feared to be trapped inside.

'We can no longer use our office because the walls cracked and the stairs collapsed,' local police spokeswoman Lea Orbuda told AFP. 'The power is off and the water taps are dry.'

A provincial police commander said the number of injured across the hardest hit areas had reached 62, with one confirmed fatality after a child was crushed under a collapsed structure.

The commander, Alberto Lupaz, said there appeared to be some people trapped under the damaged market building but rescue efforts had been delayed.

'They (rescuers) were attempting to check the rubble... the aftershocks were too strong,' Lupaz said.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who is from Davao, was caught up in the earthquake but was unharmed, officials said.

'The First Lady... said the car she was riding (in) was swaying,' spokesman Salvador Panelo said. 'They are unhurt.'

Patients were evacuated from two hospitals in Digos City and Bansalan town in Davao del Sur, according to local reports.

The country was struck by three magnitude six earthquakes in October in which at least five people died.

Rescue crew members look for trapped victims at collapsed building at Padada market

Other terrifying footage showed water violently sloshing out of a hotel swimming pool in General Santos City, also on the island of Mindanao

Ricardo Jalad, who heads the Office of Civil Defense, said his office received an initial report that a small three-story building collapsed in Padada as the ground shook and that authorities were checking if people got trapped inside. The building housed a grocery store, Jalad said without elaborating.

Matanao Mayor Vincent Fernandez said his two-story town hall was badly damaged by the intense shaking, along with two bridges and several buildings already weakened by previous quakes.

'The shaking was different this time, it wasn't swaying. It's like a roller was rumbling by underneath,' Fernandez told radio station DZMM from an emergency shelter. As he was being interviewed, he paused briefly, saying the ground was shaking again in the latest of dozens of aftershocks.

Fernandez appealed for food packs and tents to be used by residents who needed immediate shelter from the rainy weather. Many buildings that can be used as evacuation centers have been damaged by recent earthquakes, he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte was safe with his daughter in his house in Davao city, where the earthquake was felt strongly. He returned to sleep after the tremors, said Brig. Gen. Jose Niembra, who heads the presidential security force.

Officials in the southern cities of Davao and Cotabato, where the quake was felt strongly, suspended classes for Monday to allow checks on the stability of school buildings. Some cities and town lost their power due to the quake, officials said.

The Davao region has been hit by several earthquakes in recent months, causing deaths and injuries and damaging houses, hotels, malls and hospitals.

The Philippine archipelago lies on the so-called Pacific 'Ring of fire,' an arc of faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur.