The quake hit Zhaosu county, with a population of 165,000, in the Xinjiang region near the border with Kazakhstan at 9.38 am (0138 GMT).

"An earthquake hit this morning. The shock was pretty strong," Zhang Gangqiang from the Zhaosu county seismological bureau told AFP.

"We have no detailed information yet because the worst affected area is 60 or 70 kilometres (37-43 miles) away. We have sent officials to see what the damage is."

The Xinhua news agency said at least seven people were reported dead and an unspecified number of houses had collapsed, while a local government official told AFP at least eight people were killed.

"At least eight people stationed at the border area have been killed. In the county seat there was panic. Everyone ran out of their houses. There is damage to buildings," said the government official.

"The lights were swinging, the whole place shook."

Earlier this year, an earthquake in Xinjiang left more than 260 people dead and thousands more injured.

The most deadly earthquake in modern Chinese history happened on July 28, 1976 in the northern city of Tangshan when a quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale killed some 242,000 people.

TERRA.WIRE