Dozens injured as strong earthquake hits northern Philippines

Firefighters stand beside a damaged church in Ilocos Norte after a strong earthquake in the northern Philippines (AP)

A strong earthquake has rocked a large swathe of the northern Philippines, injuring at least 26 people and forcing the closure of an international airport and the evacuation of patients from a hospital, officials said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Tuesday night’s magnitude 6.4 quake, which was set off by movement in a local fault, was centred five miles (9km) north-west of Lagayan town in Abra province at a depth of seven miles (11km).