Survivors in the quake-hit areas of southwestern China's Sichuan Province have closely watched the light of the Olympic flame. That's nearly three months after the disaster.

On Sunday morning, the Olympic torch relay wound up in Guang'an City, the first leg of its tour through the Province. Our reporter Tu Yun has the details.

Reporter:

Go Sichuan! Go China! Go Olympics! The rhythmic and clear sounds of cheers echoed along the Olympic torch relay route in Guang'an where 189 torchbearers ran with the flame.

Zheng Wenlong was one of the excited spectators. He came from Chengdu, the provincial capital.

"The passing of Olympic torches is actually the passing of love, the passing of a kind of spirit, and the passing of courage.

Now, all our countrymen are deeply concerned with the situation in the disaster-hit regions. We want to thank them for their care and support, and we will rebuild our beautiful homes with our own hands."

Sichuan was severely hit by a devastating magnitude-8 earthquake on May 12. The death toll has reached nearly 70,000. Nearly 20,000 others are reported missing.

The torch was initially scheduled to visit Sichuan in mid-June. But after the earthquake, the Beijing Olympic organizing committee, or BOCOG, adjusted the relay route and decided that the Olympic torch would pass through Sichuan from August 3rd to 5th.

Many of the torchbearers today were those from the front lines of the disaster relief and reconstruction work.

Huang Qiong is head nurse at a local hospital in Mianyang, a city severely damaged by the quake. For the last two and half months, she has been busy with saving and taking care of those injured in the disaster.

"Now, many of the wounded have totally recovered and returned home. There are also some patients returning from other provinces and are now under our care. They are all strong-minded."

A one-minute silence was observed before the start of Guang'an's torch relay to remember the dead.

Guang'an is about 300 kilometers from the quake's epicenter. Its citizens and building largely remained unscathed in the disaster.

After its Guang'an tour, the torch is scheduled to continue in Leshan and the provincial capital Chengdu on Monday and Tuesday.

It'll then head to Beijing for Friday's opening ceremony of the Games.

Tu Yun, CRI news.