HEART: At least 12 people were killed after an earthquake hit western Afghanistan on Monday, an official said.

The victims died when roofs of their residential houses collapsed in Qadis district in the western province of Badghis, district governor Mohammad Saleh Purdel told AFP.

The quake was magnitude 5.3, according to the US Geological Survey, who originally recorded the magnitude as 5.6.

"Several people were also injured in today's earthquake," Purdel said, adding that the victims included women and children.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Earthquakes can cause significant damage to poorly built homes and buildings in impoverished Afghanistan