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.
They break up the mustard-yellow slabs of sulfur that are formed by planting pipes into the crater, forcing sulfuric gases to condense and then solidify.
Bearing loads of up 70 kilograms (154 pounds), the men make an agonizing climb out of the crater and then a 3-kilometer (2-mile) journey down the mountain.
They face deformities and shortened life spans working in a job that in other countries is mechanized because of the high dangers. Lethal gas explosions are an ever-present risk.
“This is very hard work,” said 42-year-old miner Suratna, who like many Indonesians uses only one name. “I barely make enough money to buy food for my family and for my children’s education, but I still thank God for giving me something”.
The miners earn 1,000 rupiah (7 cents) for each kilogram, or about $10 a day if they make two trips up and down the smoldering 2,799-meter (9,183-foot) volcano.
In this April 16, 2016 photo, a miner tries to balance his steps as he carries sulfur slabs on his shoulders up from the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, a sulfur miner carries baskets full of sulfur slabs through volcanic smoke as he climbs up from the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, a sulfur miner pauses as he works at the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, volcanic smoke blankets a miner as he collects sulfur rocks he just dug up at the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, miners dig out sulfur rocks at the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, a miner digs out sulfur slabs at the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, Marzuki, a sulfur miner, carries baskets of sulfur as he climbs up from the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, a miner pulls a cart fully loaded with sulfur slabs to a collecting point a few kilometers away at Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, a sulfur carries baskets full of sulfur slabs through volcanic smoke as he climbs up from the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. The baskets could weigh up to 70 kilograms (154 lbs) which miners have to carry a few kilometers up and on a rocky terrain to a collecting point at the foot of the volcano. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, a sulfur miner is dwarfed by giant volcanic rocks as he carries baskets full of sulfur slabs on his shoulders up from the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
In this April 16, 2016 photo, a sulfur miner, with only a piece of wet cloth he put in his mouth to protect his respiration, digs out sulfur slabs at the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Spotlight is the blog of AP Images, the world’s largest collection of historical and contemporary photos. AP Images provides instant access to AP’s iconic photos and adds new content every minute of every day from every corner of the world, making it an essential source of photos and graphics for professional image buyers and commercial customers. Whether your needs are for editorial, commercial, or personal use, AP Images has the content and the expert sales team to fulfill your image requirements. Visit apimages.com to learn more.
Written content on this site is not created by the editorial department of AP, unless otherwise noted.