KARUNA SHINSHO, CNN ANCHOR: Philippine officials are hailing the drainage efforts at a volcano crater lake as a success. Thousands of villagers evacuated earlier from the area around Mount Pinatubo are now returning to their homes. John Beeston has more details on how the drainage was conducted.</s>JOHN BEESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the Philippines, attempts to drain a volcanic lake which had formed on Mount Pinatubo were successful today, reducing the risk of local farmland and villages being inundated. This massive crater was formed ten years ago, during the eruption of Mount Pinatubo,. It's been slowly filling with rain water, forming a huge lake that threatened to burst, sending millions of gallons of water, mud, and debris hurtling into the valley below. An operation to drain the lake was mounted by local authorities, and a narrow channel was cut by hand through the side of the crater to slowly reduce the water level. This delicate process started as a trickle earlier today, and is slowly increasing. It is expected to flow for several days. Forty thousand local residents were evacuated earlier this week from low-lying areas, and they have been keeping a close watch on the volcano. They will now be allowed back home as the water level continues to fall. The draining is expected to release about one-tenth of the estimated 250 million cubic meters of water in the crater lake and direct it through river channels and out into the South China Sea.</s>SHINSHO: John Beeston reporting there. A team of volcano experts will remain on-site to monitor the situation. END TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE THE SECURE ONLINE ORDER FROM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Philippine Officials Praise Drainage of Crater, Return of Evacuees