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Cars washed up by a wave generated by the earthquake in Chile - Source: Reuters -
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New Zealand couple Sean and Rose Hallissey prayed out loud because they believed they were about to die in the devastating earthquake which hit Chile over the weekend.
Sean and Rose were staying in an apartment in Providencia, Santiago, on an extended holiday when the earthquake hit about 7.34pm Saturday (NZ time).
It began as a little vibration and grew.
"Rose noticed a noise and it built from there. We could feel this rumble. Doors began falling open, glasses began breaking and we could feel this rumbling."
He said the tile floor was moving.
"You could see shock waves rippling across the floor. I have been in one or two earthquakes at home but nothing in comparison to this.
"It was a very intense couple of minutes and I have to be honest and say we were very scared."
Sean says the lessons they learned at school in New Zealand kicked in and they went to the strongest part of the apartment under a large beam.
"We huddled under there as we were taught to as kids and rode out the initial shake."
He says they feared they would die.
"My wife said it out loud, 'I don't want to die' and I prayed at a rate of knots and very loudly for the whole time. I have never been through anything as intense in my life. It was really, really scary."
Sean says he have a strong Catholic faith and believed God was there and listening.
"We felt he was listening the other day."
All power and gas was off and Sean and Rose gathered their most important documents, passports and wallets in case they had to get out quickly.
After several hours they were allowed back inside but the building supervisor insisted that doors be left open in case of aftershocks and gas appliances were turned off.
"Our neighbours were absolutely fantastic. We speak a little bit of Spanish but when you are in those panic situations your Spanish gets even smaller and these guys were really, really good."
He says one lady who had lived in the apartment block for 25 years had never experienced a shake of such proportions.
The earthquake followed another couple of bad experiences. When they first arrived, Rose was taken to hospital with dehydration and soon after that her handbag with her passport, wallet, credit cards and new camera with all their holiday pictures was stolen.
Sean and Rose Hallissey are booked to fly back to New Zealand on Tuesday but the airport is likely to be closed for another 24 hours which would delay their flight home.
"We can't wait to get home," he says.
