ABC South-East Asia correspondent Adam Harvey has described the moment he was shot while on assignment in the Philippines as like being "hit in the neck with a cricket ball".

Key points: Correspondent says he was shot in "what was considered a safe zone"

Correspondent says he was shot in "what was considered a safe zone" Hospital "came under attack" as he had tests

Hospital "came under attack" as he had tests People fleeing besieged Marawi City say they have seen hundreds of dead bodies

Harvey, who has been covering the battle between the Philippines military and Islamic State (IS) militants in Marawi, received medical treatment after being struck in the neck by a bullet.

The Jakarta-based correspondent said he had been on the frontline of the conflict wearing a flak jacket and helmet on Thursday morning before being moved back to "what was considered a safe zone", where he was hit.

"I was bending down — we stopped and I opened the back door of the car to get some food and water and I felt an almighty stabbing at the side of my neck and I went down on the ground and I thought I'd been hit by a bit of shrapnel," he told PM.

"I started bleeding and luckily we had our ABC first aid kit, so we started doing some first aid.

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"Then I was taken to a medical centre and they took me for observation at another hospital, then they did X-rays and discovered it wasn't a bit of shrapnel, I'd actually been shot in the neck with a bullet and the bullet was still in my neck.

"But luckily it missed everything important and it just got lodged behind my jaw."

Harvey said at no point did he lose consciousness and was advised to wear a neck brace "as a precaution".

"It felt actually like I'd been hit in the head with a cricket ball or in the side of the neck with a cricket ball," he said.

"That kind of big dull bite that hurts but I didn't black out, we were joking about it a few minutes later. [It] turned a bit more serious when I saw the X-ray."

Harvey said evacuees from the besieged city were praying nearby when the few-centimetres-long bullet came from "a long way away" and hit him.

He said a few people gathered around to take photos, believing he had just been hit by a piece of shrapnel.

Marawi City was seized on May 23 by hundreds of fighters who have sworn allegiance to the IS group, including dozens from neighbouring countries and the Middle East.

It has fuelled concern that the ultra-radical group is gaining a foothold in the region.

Harvey left 'dangerous' hospital amid gunfire

Sorry, this video has expired Adam Harvey says he is "OK" after being shot while reporting in the Philippines.

Harvey said the hospital where he received a CT scan and X-ray "came under attack" while he was there.

"A lot of gun fire right outside the door, so we made the decision it was too dangerous to stay and pulled out," he said.

"I've had a lot of painkillers, so I feel fine, a dull ache in my neck … I feel OK. I've got my body armour still on."

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 3 minutes 22 seconds 3 m 22 s Adam Harvey recounts being shot while on the frontline Download 6.2 MB

A Philippines politician said residents fleeing the besieged city had seen hundreds of dead bodies in an area where there had been intense fighting.

"They said [they saw] around 500 to 1,000 dead bodies," Zia Alonto Adiong said.

The military has said 290 people have died in over three weeks of fighting, including 206 militants, 58 soldiers and 26 civilians.

Harvey, who has been in the Philippines for a few days, said while he had seen a lot of fighting while covering the siege, he did not feel in danger at the place he was shot by the "perfectly formed little sharp-tipped bullet".

People fleeing besieged Marawi City report seeing hundreds of dead bodies in areas of intense fighting. ( Reuters: Romeo Ranoco )

"When we were closer to the battle some bullets hit the road in front of us a few metres away, and that's happened a few times since we've been here," he said.

"So we've been careful to stay behind walls, I could move around with security in mind … but this is the last place we expected this to happen."

ABC News director Gaven Morris said in a statement: "Indonesia correspondent Adam Harvey has been injured while on assignment in Marawi in the Philippines and is currently receiving medical treatment.

"His injury is not life threatening."

Senior member of the IS-backed militants detained

The Philippines military said on Thursday it had arrested one of the senior members of the IS-backed militants it was fighting in the city in the country's south.

Mohammad Noaim Maute, alias Abu Jadid, was arrested at a checkpoint near the coastal city of Cagayan de Oro just after dawn, military spokesman Lt Col Jo-Ar Herrera said.

Local troops have been given technical support by US special forces in an effort to end the siege. ( Reuters: Romeo Ranoco )

Two of Mohammad's brothers, Omarkhayam and Abdullah, lead the Maute gang that is at the forefront of a vicious battle with security forces for Marawi City, now in its fourth week.

Brigadier-General Gilbert Gapay, spokesman for the military's Eastern Mindanao Command, said Mohammad Noaim Maute was a suspected bomb-maker for the group.

He said he was unarmed and holding a fake student card of the Mindanao State University when stopped at the checkpoint.

US special forces have been assisting local troops to end the siege, but only to provide technical support.

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ABC/Reuters