An undersea earthquake measuring 4.4 on the richter scale was felt in all parts of Malta at around 6pm.

According to the website of the University of Malta’s Seismic Monitoring & Research Group the tremor took place to the north east of Malta, around 30 kilometres out. It lasted for around ten seconds.

The tremor seemed to be more violent than usual. Buildings shook for a few seconds and this newsroom received several reports from our readers. A person in Gharghur wrote: short but very strong as things fell off the shelves!!

People wrote on Facebook and on news website comment boards that today’s tremor reminded them of another strong quake felt in the 1960s. Many said they had never felt a tremor this strong before.

A police spokesperson confirmed that this was an earthquake that had been felt in several localities. On Twitter, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Chris Fearne confirmed that no casualties were reported to the health services.

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Libya earlier today. This evening’s Parliamentary sitting was suspended for a few minutes as MPs were asked to exit the building when the tremor was felt.