Beijinger Zhang Qi recounts yesterday at the Beijing Capital International Airport how the tsunamihit the island of Phuket, Thailand, while she was on holidays there. [newsphoto]

Even after her arrival at Beijing, a Chinese tour guide seemed to be still facing a wall of water rolling towards tourists in Thailand.

Beijinger Zhang Qi recounts yesterday at the Beijing Capital International Airport how the tsunamihit the island of Phuket, Thailand, while she was on holidays there. [newsphoto] The horrified Cai Weiwei and the 26 members of her tour group flew home in East China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday afternoon.

Cai was too exhausted to face any reporters, said Li Hui, the director of the overseas travelling centre of Zhejiang branch of China Travel Service who met the group in the airport.

All the tourists looked calm. One man and one woman were slightly injured, said Li.

Li recounted the tale told by the 24-year-old guide as she recalled the horrifying moments, saying it was a real-life "disaster movie.".

"We just got on the beach of Phi Phi Island out of the ship and some of the guests were taking pictures when the water began to come in and washed them up," Cai told Li.

Everybody ran as fast as he or she could into the nearby hotel, trying to outrun the huge wave.
A Chinese man hugs wife at the Beijing Capital International Airport after returning from Phuket, Thailand. [newsphoto]

The tsunami took out the whole beach -- people, restaurants, everything -- and swept them into the sea. Buildings were swallowed by the powerful swells of water.

Li said the majority of the group stayed with other foreign survivors on the third floor of the hotel, where the cries of fear could be heard amid the sounds of broken furniture and glass.

People from various countries were very friendly at the time and tried to help each other, especially the injured to get to higher ground.

Cai said she felt lucky to be alive, since many of the Western tourists visiting the resort beach were either dead or injured or are still unaccounted for.

The group was escorted by local people to a mountain where they stayed for the night until the water receded.

They then caught the first ship back to Phuket Island and contacted the local Chinese embassy.

Li Hui said her agency had about 50 tourists in Thailand at the time and all of them are safe.Enditem