In China, at least seven people were killed when a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern China on Monday.

According to state media, initial surveys showed that a number of towns in Sichuan province has sustained "serious damage to housing due to mountain landslides.

The quake hit the area around 43 kilometers southeast of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10 kilometers.

An earthquake of 5.3 magnitude also struck Afghanistan and resultantly at least eight people have been killed and many injured.

According to spokesman of the Disaster Ministry, earthquake hit the Jalalabad and Kunar provinces.

The earthquake has caused financial and human losses and there are fears that the toll could rise further.