Holidaymakers Pamela and John Warren today told of the horror of being caught in an earthquake and how they fled their trembling bedroom and stood outside their hotel "waiting to die".

Pamela, 54, and John, 58, of St Phillip's Grove, Clifton, were half-way through their two-week stay just outside Marmaris, in Turkey, when Monday's earthquake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale struck in the middle of the night.

The holiday was intended as a treat for Pamela's sister Nora Hutchinson, 67, who lost her husband to cancer on September 13.

It turned into a nightmare they will remember for the rest of their lives.

"I could hear the rumble of it coming from miles away, it was like a train approaching," said Pamela, who has not been able to sleep since Monday.

"Everything just started to shake, mirrors fell off walls and smashed and things fell off tables. The noise was terrible, I'll never forget it."

The Warrens joined other guests in a desperate scramble for the exit, many were wearing only towels in their rush to escape.

"In the hotel we didn't know what would happen but when we were outside the earth was moving, the hotel was shaking, it felt like we were stood there waiting to die," said Pamela.

The tremor passed but their ordeal was far from over.

They waited outside until noon that day when their Sunquest Holidays rep arrived and herded all the guests into the hotel foyer. By this stage they had heard on Sky News that there could be up to 24 tremors on the way and their only concern was to get on a plane as soon as possible.

Pamela said: "All hell broke out. Men were swearing and women and children were crying."

All day they had seen coaches at the bottom of the road evacuating all the Thompsons and Airtours guests and the Turks were packing up their cars and moving out of the area.

Against the advice of their rep the Warrens managed to get on a minibus to the airport and Pamela spent the day begging other tour company reps to get them on a flight and were finally helped by a Thompsons rep.

"If we hadn't got back under our own steam we would still be there now camping out in front of that hotel," said Pamela.

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