A mining town has 50 small-scale mines run by 22 cooperatives, each made up of eight to 10 workers, who earn no more than $120 a month; the lack of oxygen deep inside the mines makes for precarious and "exhausting" work conditions
A miner works to extract coal from the Los Parras mine in Lobatera, Tachira state, Venezuela, on March 3, 2022. - Artisanal coal mines in Venezuela have precarious conditions, with little oxygen and low salaries. (Credit: Jhonny PARRA / AFP)