A 16-year-old gunman has shot two students dead and injured eight others at a Philippine high school, before reportedly killing himself.

The two deceased victims were 14-year-old pupils at a school in Banga in the southern province of Mindanao, the local mayor told the BBC.

Albert Palencia said four of the injured were in critical condition.

The education department said in a statement it was "deeply concerned" by the reported incident which took place on Friday afternoon at Banga National High School.

This is the third deadly school shooting in the Philippines since June this year.

"Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of our learners, teachers and school personnel," the education department said, adding it was coordinating with authorities to verify the incident and provide necessary support.

"We urge everyone to remain calm and refrain from sharing unverified information as authorities continue their investigation."

Palencia told Reuters news agency that during a lunchtime conversation on Friday, the gunman had urged friends to go home "because after lunch, [he would] be executing [his] plan".

"His friends laughed because the shooter was a known joker," Palencia told the news agency.

"After lunch, he started shooting students. He hit 10 students before killing himself."

Classes have been suspended "in all levels in the entire municipality of Banga" due to the shooting, disaster management authorities said in a statement.