In a place where the temperature reaches 60 degrees Celsius, Ethiopians still work hard to mine salt with an income of only 6.5 USD a day.
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| During a trip to Africa’s Afar Triangle, professional photographer and videographer Joel Santos captured the hard work of Ethiopian salt miners. The mine covers an area of about 155,000 square kilometers, with its lowest point 90 meters below sea level. |
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| Miners cut salt into blocks by hand and load them onto camels. There are about 2,000 camels and 1,000 donkeys working throughout the salt mines here. |
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| When transporting salt out of the Afar region, workers have to pay a special tax on the number of camels and the weight of salt. They have to travel nearly 80 km to bring the salt to the town of Berahile. |
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| The area is said to be one of the hottest places on earth, with temperatures regularly dropping to 50 degrees Celsius. "The air is so dry that you can't smell anything," Joel said. "There are some watery areas, and you can smell the salt if you lie down close to the ground." |
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| The miners have to start work early in the morning to get home before the sun is at its peak. There is little vegetation or shelter in the area. "They work in the hottest place on Earth and earn less than 100-200 euros a month. Life here is very hard. It is probably the harshest place in the world," says Joel. |
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| The Danakil Depression, especially the area surrounding Lake Afdera, produces 100% of Ethiopia's salt, so the Afar people are always conscious of protecting the salt mines. |
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| In the past, local residents used salt as a currency, before switching to paper money as it is today. |
According to VNE
