Ms Liz Cullen said she heard 'the biggest noise I have ever heard in my life' when the 7.9-magnitude quake struck shortly after she had cuddled a baby panda in the Wolong panda reserve in Sichuan province.

'We were going round to look at the souvenir shop which is just round the corner, possibly about half an hour later, when there was a very, very distinct shudder underneath us, followed by more and more shudders,' she told the BBC.

'Then we looked up to the mountains, which are very, very close on both sides, and there seemed to be an eruption from the top of one mountain and the biggest noise I have ever heard in my life, followed by trees cascading down towards us, followed by some boulders and rocks.

Ms Cullen, from the Wirral in northwest England, continued: 'The thought in my head was that I had just had one of the most lovely moments of my life and now I'm going to die here and perhaps never be found.

'When it was clear where the trees and rubble were coming to, they guided us to a small brick shelter where we stayed and the ground continued to shudder and the stuff continued to come down from the mountains.' She said she deliberated whether to send a mobile phone text message to her sister telling her family she loved them.

After waiting for two hours, the tourists were taken back to their hotel by coach after the driver negotiated boulders and landslides. The group was then flown to safety by helicopter early on Thursday.

Another member of the 19-strong British group, Penny Edwards, praised the 'remarkable' Chinese people who had looked after them.

'Despite losing their homes and being in devastating circumstances, they showed us nothing but kindness, help and support. I'll never forget them,' she said. -- AFP