(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-13 06:46

A few hours after the earthquake hit Sichuan province at 2:28 pm on Monday, the provincial capital of Chengdu could be seen reeling from one of worst quakes in the country in recent history.

Patients lie on beds in the open ater being evacuated from a hospital in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, 100 km away from the epicenter of the 7.8-magnitude quake on Monday. [Xinhua]

At least 45 were reported to have died in the city, about 100 km away from the quake epicenter of Wenchuan.

Hundreds of Chengdu residents were seen seeking refuge at the city's largest square, with some pitching makeshift tents.

State television showed residents crowding the streets and looking unscathed, save for one woman bleeding from her head.

A group of foreign tourists clad in bathrobes was also spotted in the open, apparently having just fled from their hotel.

Some parts of the city had water and power supplies cut off, State radio reported.

"You see traffic jams, no running water, power outages, everyone sitting in the streets, and patients evacuated from hospitals sitting outside and waiting," said Ronen Medzini, an Israeli student.

The Xinhua News Agency said an underground water pipe ruptured near the city's southern railway station, flooding a main thoroughfare. Buildings were seen with cracks in their walls but there were no collapses reported.

The initial panic and fear caused by the quake were gradually replaced by a mixed mood of calm and caution.

However, when recalling what happened, witnesses said the horror they experienced went far beyond what a Hollywood disaster movie could depict.

"Houses were swaying like crazy ... Big cracks appeared on building walls," said Zhang Wei, a tourist from Beijing, who was staying at a hotel in the city.

Zhang Yi, 57, said she has not seen a quake of this scale in 50 years.

"All the lights of a six-floor building in the Chengdu Stadium that can house more than 40,000 people were broken. Vehicles were abandoned. Gas stations were closed. The telecommunications network was down."

More than 40 pregnant women were also seen evacuating from a hospital in Jinjiang district. The women were later temporarily housed in two buses provided by the municipal public transportation company.

A 43-year-old teacher surnamed Xiao in the Chengdu No 4 Kindergarten was credited with bringing 35 of her charges, who were sleeping in a second-floor room, to safety.

Zhang Haizhou and Wang Wei contributed to the story