Manila  - More than 100 dolphins were beached Tuesday in a northern Philippine town and at least three of them were already dead, a local official said.

The dolphins crowded the sea off Pilar town in Bataan province, 75 kilometres north-west of Manila, according to provincial Governor Enrique Garcia.

Garcia said fishermen in the area were at a loss on what to do with the mammals.

He added that his office has already called up public and private agencies that can help save the dolphins.

"This is a phenomenon," he told a local radio station in Manila. "It is only now that this happened in our province."

Beached dolphins are common in the Philippine archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, but very rarely occur in such huge numbers.

The coast guard has dispatched teams to the area to help guide the dolphins away from the shore.

"We have directed our units in Manila to help out in this particular undertaking," coast guard commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said. (dpa)