Manila, Dec 15 (IANS): A six-year-old girl was killed when the house she was in collapsed during a magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

The local government in the Davao region said the girl became trapped in the rubble of the house in the town of Matanao, reports Efe news.

The US Geological Survey (USGS), which records worldwide seismic activity, said the earthquake occurred at 2 p.m. and the hypocenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 28 km, while its epicenter was some 5 km away of southwestern region of Sinawilan.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the earthquake's magnitude was 6.9.

The tremor was followed by an aftershock of magnitude 5 some 20 minutes later and its hypocenter was 10 km deep. According to the USGS, a second aftershock of magnitude 5.7 was recorded at 3.09 p.m.

In October, some 21 people were killed while 432 others were injured after two earthquakes of magnitude 6.6 and 6.5 had struck Mindanao.

The region has suffered several seismic activities in the last few months that have resulted in casualties.

Philippines is located along the Ring of Fire, a region of high volcanic and seismic activity that is shaken every year by some 7,000 quakes, most of them moderate.