Canada rocked by earthquake

A magnitude-5.0 earthquake has struck the Ontario-Quebec border region of Canada.

Homes and businesses were shaken, from Canada's capital in Ottawa, to as far as Chicago and Maine in the United States.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake was in Quebec, around 23 miles north of Cumberland, Ontario, on the Ottawa River. The agency said the quake occurred at a depth of about 12 miles at 1:45 pm local time.

The tremors, which lasted about 30 seconds, rattled buildings in Ottawa and Toronto, as well as government offices across the river in Gatineau, Quebec.

The Parliament building in Ottawa was evacuated, and workers sent home while the building was inspected.

The moment the quake struck was caught live on camera during an televised interview with Canada's Environment Minister Jim Prentice.

Workers were also evacuated from buildings in Toronto.

Residents of a number of US states in the Midwest and Northeast reported feeling tremors, including Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York.

The quake came just ahead of the weekend summit of G20 and G8 world leaders in Toronto and Huntsville, Ontario.