Day One (May 12)

2:28 pm

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Sichuan province. Tremors caused by the quake jolt cities across China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Lanzhou and Chongqing, neighboring Sichuan.

4:40 pm

Premier Wen Jiabao, heading the disaster relief headquarters, boards plane bound for Sichuan. He arrives at Dujiangyan, one of the worst hit cities, at 8 pm. He calls on people to be calm and brave in the face of the disaster.

5:03 pm

Reports from Chongqing say four students are killed and more than 100 students injured in a Liangping county school.

Evening

Domestic and international media begin sending journalists to the quake frontlines in Sichuan.

11 pm

The local seismological authority says the quake killed 8,533 people in Sichuan alone.

Day two (May 13)

Early hours

Thousands of relief forces, including army and armed police, are blocked by piles of huge rocks on the roads.

9 am

Army decides to parachute soldiers and relie2f materials after the weather improves.

Midnight

The first rescue team of about 800 soldiers force its way into the epicenter Wenchuan amid heavy rain, and rescue operations begin.

Day three (May 14)

10:07 am

The first helicopter lands in Wenchuan. Premier Wen reaches the area at 3:50 pm