An earthquake with a magnitude of seven on the Richter scale struck the border between the Xinjiang region of China and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquake struck at around 2:00 local time (18:00 UTC on Monday), according to the US Geological Survey.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 27 kilometers, specifically in the Xinjiang region, about 140 kilometers west of the city of Aksu. No immediate reports of injuries or damage were received, as reported by AFP.

Shortly afterward, three more earthquakes were recorded in the region with magnitudes of 5.5, 5.1, and 5.0.

The institute stated in its report, "Severe damage is likely, and the disaster may be widespread."

Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Emergency Situations, Boobek Ajikeev, confirmed in a video that "no injuries or damages have been reported so far," urging residents not to panic.

He explained that residents in some areas of the Issyk-Kul province in the east of the country felt "very strong" tremors.

In Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, residents fled their homes to the streets, AFP reported. 

In Kazakhstan, footage posted on social media and local media showed residents of Almaty, the country's largest city, fleeing to the streets following the earthquake.

This earthquake occurred a day after a landslide in southwest China buried dozens of people and killed at least eight. Another earthquake in northwest China in Dec. resulted in 148 deaths and displaced thousands in Gansu province, marking the highest death toll in China since 2014 when over 600 people died in Yunnan province in the southwest.