It was a rude awakening for many Quebec residents on Sunday morning, as a 4.6 magnitude earthquake shook several regions of the province.
The earthquake occurred at 5:43 a.m., 26 km northwest of Drummondville, according to Natural Resources Canada. The event, which occurred at a depth of 18 km, was “slightly felt” in Drummondville, Trois-Rivières and Montreal, according to the federal agency.
No incidents have been reported related to the earthquake, according to a Public Safety spokeswoman. “Given the relatively low magnitude of the earthquake, we don’t expect to see much damage,” a spokesperson for the ministry said.
The earthquake was still “stressful” for Clément Spénard and his family, who were camping with their friends in Odanak, in the Centre-du-Québec region. “The fourteen campers in the group were woken up by the tremor, some thought it was a train,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve felt such a strong tremor.”
Sylvie Lemay, a resident of Trois-Rivières, said she heard “a noise like when a snow plow goes through the winter” shortly after waking up. The “surprising” event caused a rumble and a jolt that lasted a few seconds, she said.
The earthquake threw a spanner in the works for many travelers this morning. According to our information, a VIA Rail train, which was scheduled to leave Quebec City for Ottawa at 8:36 a.m., was delayed by four and a half hours due to the earthquake.
The epicenter was in Pierreville, a small municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region.
Earthquakes of this magnitude are relatively frequent in Quebec, says Rudy Hamel, vice-president of the board of directors of the Association de sécurité civile du Québec (ASCQ). “We need to make people aware of the proper behaviors to adopt during earthquakes: duck, take shelter and hold on,” he emphasizes.