Philippines quake causes scary electrical explosion

This is the terrifying moment an electrical transformer exploded after an earthquake hit the Philippines on Sunday (December 15).

The footage was captured in the populous city of Davao on the southern island of Mindanao, north of the quake epicentre.

A bright flash of light can be seen zipping across the cables before there was a flash and explosion.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake 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.

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