Chinese soldiers prepared on Monday to explode earthquake debris blocking a river where quickly rising waters threatened to flood disaster victims. Two weeks after the magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit central Sichuan province, lakes formed by obstructed rivers clogged by landslides were adding new complications to recovery efforts already strained to find shelter for millions of homeless. One of the most powerful aftershocks since the May 12 quake killed at least six people and injured 480 on Sunday, according to state media, adding to a death toll that the government has said would surpass 80,000. To fight the flood risk, 1,800 soldiers arrived early on Monday by foot to the new Tangjiashan Lake in Beichuan county, each carrying 10 kg of explosives to blast through the debris, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The lake is 3.2 km upstream from the centre of Beichuan county. Thousands of people who remained there after the initial earthquake have been evacuated in recent days as a precaution. With weather clearing that had earlier prevented helicopter flights, an earth mover was also lifted in the area to help clear debris, in footage shown on state TV. The backed-up lake is one of several dozen in Sichuan. In Anxian country, about 50 km to the south of Beichuan, a similar landslide blocked the Chaping River, submerging Shuangdian village. Residents say the lake has been growing by about 2-1/2 yards a day. "The water was covering the road and two days later, I could not see the roof of my house anymore," said Liu Zhongfu, 31, a truck driver who built his two-story wooden house himself, standing on a mountain overlooking the new lake. A sofa and bits of wood that were once part of houses could be seen floating among the debris in the milky green water. Mr Liu was working away from home when the earthquake hit. His wife, 3-month-old daughter and 60-year-old mother were all unhurt. "I thought I could go back but I have nothing now. My village, it's all become a sea," he said.Water there was backed up 3 km along the river, said Wang Li, county Communist Party secretary. "We need to take care of this soon, this is a serious situation," he said. Elsewhere, 600 people were voluntarily evacuated from Guanzhuang in Qingchuan county.