Two coal mine workers after their shift.

On cold days, people use the heat from the burning coal to warm themselves.

Children playing close to a crack in the ground.

A crack only 200 meters away from the nearby village of Bokapahari. It opened for the first time in 1976, but the government closed it with rocks and sand. In 2001, the crack opened up again.

In Jharia, several houses have collapsed due to the fires.

A coal mine in the early morning. The mines are a hazardous and sometimes deadly place to work.

A young man carrying coal up from the mines.

A guard in the coal mine keeps watch.

Many people go into the mines every day to collect coal to sell at the local market.

Two workers in a coal mine take a break while the earth burns above and below them.

Fumes leak out of the cracks and holes in the ground outside Jharia.

A woman carries a heavy chunk of coal. It took two men to help her lift it.

Locals use the heat from the burning coal to stay warm.

Water is poured onto the burning coal to cool it down before excavation, causing fumes to fill the air.

A coal mine guard lights a cigarette. He is engulfed in the fumes of burning coals as they are doused in water.