Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Sunday sent a message to his Philippine counterpart Joseph Estrada, expressing his condolences to the Filipinos over the earthquake hitting the country early in the day.

A powerful earthquake rocked northern Philippines, including the capital city of Manila, early Sunday, causing collapse of several buildings and minor injuries, official reports said.

In its latest report issued Sunday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the strong earthquake, which occurred at 02:03 (18:03 GMT), registered 6.8 on the Richter scale.

The institute said the epicenter of the quake was 61 kilometers west of Lingayen, Pangasinan Province, and the intensity measured VI in Manila. (Xinhua)