China: Soldiers blast debris to help drain 'quake lake'

Soldiers blew up wooden houses and other debris today in a lake formed by China’s deadly earthquake to speed the flow of water into a diversion channel and ease the threat of flooding for more than 1 million people in the sprawling disaster zone.

The Tangjiashan “quake lake” continued to swell even as water gushed down the spillway built after two weeks of frantic work by engineers and soldiers. Authorities were still on high alert, although the draining operation was progressing smoothly, the official Xinhua News Agency said.