A car drives through a street among the ruins of collapsed buildings in the depopulated Beichuan county in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 26 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
This combo of handout images provided by Taiwan's National Space Organisation (NSPO) on May 27, 2008 shows before and after photos of a swelling lake created near the epicentre of the devastating Sichuan earthquake, caused by a landslide that blocked the Jian river in Beichuan county. The top image was taken on May 14, 2006 and the second one exactly two years later, two days after the 8.0 magnitude quake hit the region on May 12, 2008. The third image showing the rising water due to the blocked river, was taken on May 19, 2008 and the fourth one on May 22, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite are scrambling to blast through a huge wall of debris that is damming the rising "quake lake" in southwest China and putting more than a million people at risk.
People walk through a street beside the ruins of collapsed buildings in the depopulated Beichuan county in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
A police car (C) patrols along a road in the depopulated Beichuan county, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
Flowers are placed on a hill near the earthquake-hit city of Beichuan following the massive quake with a magnitude of 8.0 on May 12, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
Aerial shot of landslide (top) and the ruins of collapsed buildings in Beichuan county, one of worst earthquake-hit cities following the massive quake with a magnitude of 8.0 on May 12, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
A general view of the earthquake-hit city of Beichuan following the massive quake with a magnitude of 8.0 on May 12, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
A general view of the earthquake-hit city of Beichuan following the massive quake with a magnitude of 8.0 on May 12, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan, May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
This handout image provided by Taiwan's National Space Organisation (NSPO) on May 27, 2008 shows a satellite image taken on May 22, 2008 of the swelling lake created near the epicentre of the devastating Sichuan earthquake, caused by a landslide that blocked the Jian river in Beichuan county. Troops armed with dynamite are scrambling to blast through a huge wall of debris that is damming the rising "quake lake" in southwest China and putting more than a million people at risk.
This combo of handout satellite colour-enhanced images provided by Taiwan's National Space Organisation (NSPO) on May 27, 2008 shows the progression of a swelling lake created by the devastating Sichuan earthquake, caused by a landslide that blocked the Jian river in Beichuan county. The top and middle two images were taken on May 14, 2008 showing the river after the earthquake and then swelling from 19.2 hectares to 40.9 and then a third image (bottom) taken on May 19, 2008 swelling to 85.4 hectares (211 acres). Troops armed with dynamite are scrambling to blast through a huge wall of debris that is damming the rising "quake lake" in southwest China and putting more than a million people at risk.
A gerenal view of the earthquake-hit city of Beichuan following the massive quake with a magnitude of 8.0 on May 12, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
A man points at Tangjiashan lake which is holding 130 million cubic metres (4.6 billion cubic feet) of water created when the quake triggered a landslide that blocked the Jian river near the earthquake-hit city of Beichuan following the massive quake with a magnitude of 8.0 on May 12, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
A general view of the earthquake-hit city of Beichuan following the massive quake with a magnitude of 8.0 on May 12, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.
A lake (top) is seen near Beichuan county, one of worst earthquake-hit cities following the massive quake with a magnitude of 8.0 on May 12, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 27, 2008. Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on May 27 to blast through debris damming a quake lake in southwest China, as forecasts of heavy rain threatened more misery for millions of homeless people.