They have no respirators, rebar instead of scrap, and their strength would be the envy of Superman. Three times a day, they carry 90kg of weight on their shoulders at a time. They descend to the bottom of the crater of the sulphur volcano, where the real hell reigns.
Today's heroes of my report are miners at the Ijen volcano.

Almost half of all sulphur mined is used to produce sulphuric acid. Sulphur is also used in the production of black powder, matches, dyes and explosives. And many other things.
It is impossible to determine exactly when sulphur was discovered. It is only known that sulphur was used by people even before our era.

The workers carry a load of sulphur on their shoulders up the crater slope. They have to climb 300 metres up an extremely rough path.

You should see how easily the workers lift such heavy weights and then easily and gracefully throw these baskets from shoulder to shoulder! I have tried it myself what it is like to be a sulphur miner and I tell you it is really a hell of a job. It is still bearable to swing a crowbar and break off pieces of sulphur, though you are covered with a hot sulphur cloud every now and then, trying to burn your lungs and eyes. But to lift and even more so to drag uphill these baskets with sulphur is hell! I lifted them, but I couldn't carry them on my shoulder. I guess I didn't eat enough porridge.

After the workers lift the baskets of sulphur from the crater to the surface, they bag it and put it on special trolleys and then take them down (it is 3 km) to the weighing station. Each such loaded cart weighs from 150 to 250 kg.

The happiest moment of the day was receiving the money. 205,000 rupees, so he brought 205 kg of sulphur. That's $15. That's about $400-450 a month.

And this is what the workers' shoulders look like as they carry heavy baskets of sulphur. This man is 39 years old.

And this is the most publicised phenomenon - blue fire. At night, when sulphur vapours are strong, if they are set on fire, they burn with a blue flame.