Locals call them Apache for their ever-soiled black
faces and the recklessness by working in abandoned,
unequipped coal mines, where their lives are always in
danger.
But as one of them said, they go down there because
there are no jobs on the surface.
Hundreds of families in remote mountainous areas in
southern Kyrgyzstan depend for living on abandoned
Soviet coal mines that dot mountain slopes.
Citizens are left to their own devices in this poor
ex-Soviet mountainous nation of five million that has
been in political chaos over the past few years,
including the forcible ouster of former President
Askar Akayev in March 2005.
In Kok Janak, many families survive by working coal in
old mines equipped only with picks, worn-out helmets
and headlights. They use old vaccuum cleaners for
pipes and donkeys for transporting their output to
customers.
Some miners bring along their teenage sons. It's
easier for young boys to move around narrow mines,
bringing to the surface bags with coal.
Each mine is worked by a six-seven-strong brigade. If
among brigade members there is an experienced
professional miner who used to work here during the
Soviet time _ when work was mechanized and organized _
then they take safety precautions. If not, there is no
safety.
Accidents _ methane poisonings and mine collapses _
are frequents here, miners say. But none keeps the
count. Underground in all senses, their mines
sometimes turn into traps.
The coal is carried to the surface in tarpaulin bags.
They are then loaded onto donkeys and then the entire
men-and-donkey company descends by steep mountainous
paths.
Each bag, that contains about 70 kilograms of coal,
sells for about 3 dollars. Miners make about 8 10
dollars a day, and sometimes spend months on bread and
water digging a new mine until they strike coal.
Sergey Ponomarev is one of today's finest young Russian photojournalists. Best known for his photojournalism works depicting Russian daily life and culture as well as news images from wars and conflicts in Middle East including Syria, Gaza, Lebanon, Egypt and Libya.
Sergey has won many international and domestic photography awards. Most recently, he won Puylitzer prize for reporting on Refugee Crisis in Europe, first place prize, in the General News category at World Press Photo contest for European Refugee crisis, was finalist at the Pulitzer prize in 2015.
From 2003 till 2012 Sergey was staff photographer at The Associated Press - the essential global news network. Now he is freelance. Born in Moscow, Ponomarev graduated Moscow State University and Academy of Labor and Social Relations.
http://www.sergeyponomarev.com
Awards www.sergeyponomarev.com
