A minor earthquake has hit eastern Ontario and western Quebec, with tremors extending from the greater Montreal region to Ottawa.

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Natural Resources Canada confirmed the 4.3 quake's epicentre was in Hawkesbury, Ont. The United States Geological Survey at first measured it at 3.7 but later changed its rated magnitude to 4.3 as well.

The Canadian agency initially reported the quake was centred in Lachute, Que., about 80 kilometres northwest of Montreal. The quake struck Wednesday at 1:36 p.m. ET with no reported damage.

It later issued a release saying the quake also didn't affect any of the major nuclear facilities in the region.

Temblors were reported in the Laurentians, across Montreal, in Cornwall and in Ottawa.

"I was sitting on my couch and all of a sudden I hear this noise which is boom, boom, boom, boom," said Feely Antipas, who lives in Morin Heights, Que.

"I thought it was a big [boulder] coming from a big mountain, going down the hill. The noise when it stopped it was very strong."

The ground started shaking and stopped after about 10 seconds.

In Grenville, Que., elementary school teacher Audra Goorbarry was in her classroom with her Grade 5 and 6 students when the quake struck.

"The children were sitting at their desks and on the floor reading quietly," Goorbarry said.

"Then the expressions on their faces changed immediately, and some of them screamed out, and some of them covered their mouths. And there were a few aftershocks, so they were really excited about the rumbling after."

Pascal Provost said he felt the quake at his home in Repentigny around 1:30 p.m.

"My house complained a little bit and my cat looked like it saw a ghost," Provost told CBC News's Community page.

Federal quake website froze

It appeared the one casualty was the federal website intended to keep Canadians informed about earthquakes.

Last time there was a temblor in the region, last June, it froze Earthquakes Canada's website.

The site was brought to its knees again Wednesday. Many visitors seeking information were greeted by blank screens and the site occasionally worked, but only intermittently after 2 p.m.

The bugs brought back memories of last year's 5.0 temblor, where the federal site was paralyzed by demand.