A powerful earthquake struck a central Philippine region Tuesday, trapping a family in a collapsed house, damaging other houses, low-slung buildings and a seaport, and prompting people to dash outdoors for safety, AP reported.

Roads and bridges were cracked in Cataingan, the coastal town nearest the epicenter, according to Rino Revalo, a Masbate provincial administrator, and initial images of the quake aftermath.

Revalo told ABS-CBN network that a three-story house collapsed in Cataingan as the ground shook and trapped a retired police officer and his family. Rescuers scrambled to save them, he said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the 6.6 magnitude quake hit about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Cataingan at a depth of about 21 kilometers (13 miles).