The beautiful country where locals risk lives mining for 'devil's gold' in a volcano

Indonesia is renowned for its islands and landscapes, but it is also home to reserves of sulphur and hundreds of miners every day risk their lives for the material, which they call "devil's gold." The East Java province is home to the c, where miners are exposed to toxic fumes and . According to a report by , most of the miners do not live past 50 years old. The sulphur that is mined is essential to many products bought and sold across the world, including matches, sugar, detergent and gunpowder.

When hot smoke from inside the volcano reaches outside, it condenses liquid which drips off pipes, as it soldifies and cools, before the sulfur turns yellow and then miners break off blocks of it. It is the colour which gives it the devil's gold name. The workers end up carrying up to 90kg of the material up the mountain. They often suffer from swollen shoulders, and lumps from making multiple trips up and down.

Many of the miners cannot afford gas masks to protect themselves and result to the use of handkerchiefs. Some also work close to one of the world's most toxic volcano lakes, where if the contents from the lake come into contact with the miners mouths their teeth could fall out, and it is fatal if it gets into their stomachs.

Despite, the treacherous experience the miners go through, they can earn between $12 and $17 (£9.41 to £13.32) a day, which in fact is more than most of the other trades around the island.

Mistar is one of the miners who has been working at the deadly site for 30 years. "Even though this is a dangerous situation, we dare to die because we're afraid of hunger," he says.

The workers can start their days from as early as 1:00 am, to prepare for the journey up to the crater, which involves a two-mile hike. They then take simple take with them a crowbar and a basket down to the crater to begin their shifts.

Mistar shared more of the life-threatening experiences the miners deal on a day to day basis. "If smoke enters the body, we will feel tightness, pain in the gut."

If big clouds of thin white smoke start to appear from the lake, the miners know that is their cue to evacuate the area in order to "save themselves immediately."

However, even when the miners escape working in the conditions they do have lasting health effects, leaving some of those who are sick or even with broken legs having no choice but to remain mining.