Why miners in Indonesia risk their lives to get sulphur from inside an active volcano
- Hundreds of miners work inside the Ijen volcano, an active volcano in Indonesia to unearth sulphur, an essential ingredient in sugar, detergent, and gunpowder
- Working conditions are so dangerous, many miners don’t live past 50 years old
In East Java, Indonesia, hundreds of miners face deadly smoke to mine sulphur, or “devil’s gold.” They risk respiratory illness and death to haul 200-pound loads of sulphur up crater walls.
The Ijen volcano complex is a group of volcanoes located on the eastern end of Java.
Throughout their workdays, the miners battle toxic fumes.
They’re mining sulphur, which locals call “devil’s gold” because of its two colours.
Miners carry up to 200 pounds of sulphur on their backs, up and down steep cliffs. It’s common for their shoulders to swell or develop pimples. A sulphur miner hikes up a steep cliff.
Sulphur is a common household ingredient, used in everything from matches to batteries to sugar. It’s an essential ingredient in rubber products and winemaking, and it’s used in fireworks and gunpowder.