Earthquake rocks Ottawa

The Canadian city of Ottawa was struck by an earthquake on 24th February, causing anxiety among residents but no serious injuries.

Measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale, the epicentre was 40km north-east of the city centre and further rumblings are expected to be felt over the coming days.

"It's a moderate earthquake, so we wouldn't expect any damage," said seismologist Sylvia Hayek of Natural Resources Canada. Local police are reported to have received up to 150 calls from concerned residents curious as to what was happening.

"[People were] just wondering what the heck was going on," Sergeant Denis Cleoux of Ottawa police said.

According to Earthquakes Canada, seismic tremors are more common on the Pacific and Atlantic seaboards, but no casualties have ever directly resulted from one.

"It's still very small, but it's stronger than we first thought," said earthquake analyst Angel Gutierrez to the Canadian Press.

No buildings were damaged during the earthquake - something that occurs in the region on average only once every five to ten years.