Two earthquakes have shaken Samoa in the space of six hours.

The first rattled the country just before midnight on Friday. It lasted for several seconds.

According to the US Geophysical Institute, the quake was 6.2-magnitude.

The epicentre was 237 kilometres in the ocean in the south-southeast direction of Apia, the US Geophysical Institute reported.

The second earthquake shook the country at 5.52am Saturday morning. 

It was shorter than the one on Friday night.

Attempts are being made to get a comment from the local Met Office.

It could not be confirmed whether both earthquakes generated a tsunami.