Photo: USGS

A strong and shallow 6.4-magnitude quake hit the southern Philippine region of Mindanao on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake, which was 14 kilometres (8.6 miles) deep, was centered around 7.7 kilometres (4.7 miles) from the city of Columbio, according to the US monitor.

The Philippines is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.