The figures are the first confirmed deaths from the quake, which was registered just after 2am local time at a depth of 13km in China’s Xinjiang region, about 140km west of the city of Aksu.

After initially reporting that six people suffered injuries – two of which were “serious” – in Akqi county, Beijing’s Xinhua news agency reported that three had died.

Five were injured, it added.

A total of 47 buildings in the county collapsed, while a further 78 were damaged, the local government said on social media.

Two residential houses and livestock sheds collapsed in the area near the epicentre, in rural Wushi county, Xinhua reported, while electricity was temporarily knocked out.

The health ministry in nearby Kazakhstan said that 44 people with “various” injuries had sought medical help in Almaty, the country’s largest city.