Two offshore earthquakes struck southern and central Philippines early on 3 August, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Illustrative image (Source: AFP)

The first 5.6-magnitude quake hit Davao Occidental province in the southern region at 12:10 am local time at a depth of 143km, about 48 km northeast of Jose Abad Santos town.

Meanwhile, the second 5-magnitude earthquake, which rocked Northern Samar province in central Philippines at 1:28 am, hit at a depth of 20 km, about 29 km northwest of Pambujan town.

The quakes were also felt in neighbouring provinces, the institute said, adding that there were no reported casualties or damage in both earthquakes.

The institute said the tremors, which were both tectonic in origin, triggered aftershocks.

Last week, three successive earthquakes struck the Philippines' northernmost Batanes islands, killing eight and injuring 63 others.

The Philippines is regularly hit by quakes as the country is on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a horse-shoe shaped band of volcanoes and fault lines circling the edges of the Pacific Ocean.

(Source: VNA)