Three people were killed and five others injured after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck a sparsely populated part of China’s western Xinjiang region on Tuesday.

It caused extensive damage in freezing cold weather, officials said.

The tremor jolted Wushi County and its surrounding areas in Aksu Prefecture at 2.09am, local authorities said.

All three deaths and four of the five injuries occurred in Akqi County, which is adjacent to Wushi County, and one person was injured in Wushi County.

Scores of houses collapsed or were damaged.

As of 4pm, the China Earthquake Networks Centre had reported 70 aftershocks, the most powerful one of 5.3-magnitude.

The authorities have allocated disaster relief funds totalling 30 million yuan to help with emergency rescue work and the repair of damaged homes, among other efforts.

The health ministry in Kazakhstan said earlier that 44 people suffering "various" injuries had sought medical help in Almaty, the country's largest city.

Images posted on social media and by local news outlets showed citizens streaming outside following the quake.

People also fled their homes to seek refuge in the street in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, after the quake caused walls to shake and furniture to shift. (Agencies)