agonizing cries; pandemonium
Describes a scene of utter chaos and wailing, often used for disasters or battlefields. Originates from the names of two Buddhist hells (阿鼻地獄 and 叫喚地獄), but in modern use it refers to extreme suffering and uproar.
After the earthquake, the town became a hellish scene of agonizing cries.
The battlefield was sheer pandemonium.