Eight die in Philippine quakes

Ruined: A view of the damage to the Sta Maria de Mayan Church after earthquakes strike the region in Itbayat on Batanes island. — AFP

Manila: Eight people were killed and dozens injured when a series of earthquakes struck islands in the far northern Philippines, terrifying locals and sparking an urgent search of collapsed homes.

The tremors hit early yesterday in the province of Batanes, a group of sparsely populated islets north of the nation’s largest Luzon island, toppling buildings and leaving deep cracks in roads.