A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the northern Philippines on Wednesday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said, as authorities warned of damage and aftershock from the tremor.

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck a town in Ilocos Norte early Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said. In its bulletin, PHIVOLCS said the earthquake was located west of Bangui and occurred at 2:54 a.

At least three people were killed and 32 hospitalized in the southern Philippines at the weekend after eating a local dish prepared with sea turtle, an endangered species.

Under Philippine environmental protection laws, hunting or consuming sea turtles is illegal but they are still eaten as a traditional delicacy in some communities.

The Philippines said a Chinese Navy chopper harassed Filipino fishing boats at a disputed South China Sea reef, showing lingering tensions in the key waterway.

China’s coast guard said on Monday that it had taken “necessary control measures” against an “illegal gathering” of Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the Iroquois reef in the South China Sea. A number of Philippine ships have in recent days “illegally” gathered in the waters of the reef in the Spratly Islands under the banner of