Indonesian sulfur miners make offering at volcano to protect against disaster

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The ritual is performed by the sulfur miners of Mount Ijen who slaughter a goat and then bury the head in the crater of the volcano in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The sacrifice is performed to ward off potential disasters for the next year. WARNING: Some graphic images are included in this gallery.

The Ijen crater rises to 2,386m, with a depth of over 175m, making it one of the world’s largest craters. Sulfur mining is a major industry in the region, made possible by an active vent at the edge of a lake, but the work is not without risks as the acidity of the water in the crater is high enough to dissolve clothing and cause breathing problems.