Updated | Sicily earthquake registering 4.4 on Richter scale sends tremor across Malta

A tremor was experienced in Malta, with reports of people feeling the strong rumbling of a quake in Mellieha, Valletta, San Gwann and Kalkara.

The weak trembling, but unmistakable episode, took place at around 6:01pm CET.

An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 on the Richter scale was registered below Sicily and north-east of Malta. The University of Malta's seismology monitoring centre said the epicentre was 40km north-east of Malta.

The aftershock was felt on two consecutive times inside the House of Representatives, which suspended its sitting for five minutes.

Junior health minister Chris Fearne also took to Twitter to reassure the nation that "no casualties" were reported to the health services.

No casualties reported to Health Services following this evening's tremor.

— Chris Fearne (@chrisfearne) January 13, 2016

When you're at the red lights and your car starts rocking

— Karl Gouder (@kgouder) January 13, 2016

#tremor felt on #Malta - literally saw my furniture shaking.

— Mel McElhatton (@MelMcE) January 13, 2016

OK, so the earth moved a little and Parliament suspends the sitting. You can not be serious.

— Andrew Borg-Cardona (@imbocca) January 13, 2016

@JosephMuscat_JM finally keeps a promise. #Terremot (#earthquake) felt in #Malta

— Edward Demicoli (@EdwardDemicoli) January 13, 2016