Death toll from Philippine quake rises to 72

The death toll from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck off the central Philippines late on Tuesday has risen to 72, the civil defence agency said.

Another 294 people were injured, the agency said in a report on Thursday.

The latest death toll was an increase of three from Wednesday and all fatalities were recorded in the central Visayas region.

The shallow quake struck waters off the central island of Cebu late at night, damaging power lines, bridges and multiple buildings, including a church that was more than 100 years old.

The Cebu quake was the country's deadliest since at least 2013, when a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the neighboring island of Bohol, killing 222 people.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and experiences more than 800 quakes each year.