Manila  - A strong earthquake rocked a central Philippine province Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, government seismologists said.

The quake had a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The institute said the epicentre was located south-west of Calapan City in Mindoro Oriental province, 140 kilometres south of Manila.

The tremor was felt in the capital, nearby Tagaytay City and the provinces of Quezon and Mindoro Occidental.

The Philippines, which lies in the Pacific's volcano- and quake-prone "Ring of Fire," is hit by about 10 earthquakes every day but only a few each year are actually felt.

The worst earthquake that struck the country was in 1990 when a magnitude-7.7 tremor killed nearly 2,000 people on the northern island of Luzon. (dpa)