Kawah Ijen - Inferno

(Indonesia 2009)

In eastern Java, Mount Ijen, a live volcano, looms high above the landscape.  Molten sulfur funnels out of pipes deep inside the crater, filling the air with a toxic mix of pungent sulfur gas and smoke.  These Indonesian miners, in primitive conditions not seen in most places for more than a century, often wear no protection, carrying up to 100 kilos of sulfur on their shoulders, climbing  steep rocky paths in extreme humidity and descending the volcano for 3 kilometers, bare foot, twice daily, choking from stinking, toxic fumes.  For this shortened, blinding, gagging life in hell, they are paid 6 Euros a day. These conditions destroy their lungs, eyes and other tissues. Their life expectancy is fifty years. “We work in hell,” said the miners, “our eyes and lungs burn the whole day, but there’s nothing we can do. Otherwise, we’re scared we’ll have nothing to eat.”