Indonesian sulfur miners brave toxic fumes and volcano, earning pennies
By Associated Press In Kawah Ijen, Indonesia | China Daily | Updated: 2016-05-05 07:58
Stunning Mount Ijen in eastern Java draws tourists by day and hundreds of sulfur miners by night.
They endure toxic fumes and backbreaking loads to earn pennies hauling out a substance used to bleach sugar and vulcanize rubber.
Just after midnight, wearing headlamps to find their way through the darkness and volcanic smoke, the miners descend into the crater with shovels and crowbars, often without protective masks.
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