(vo)every day somewhere in the world normal people risk their lives just getting from a to b. in far off countries and isolated forgotten villages, our camera crews follow the journeys of those brave enough to travel on the world's toughest, most dangerous and deadly roads. buckle up for a hell ride. this is deadliest journeys. the pacific ring of fire. nine of the world's most active volcanoes are concentrated along this arc. in indonesia, on the island of

java, is kawah ijen, one of the most dangerous and unpredictable volcanoes in the world. yet every day hundreds of miners head underground to extract a valuable mineral, sulphur. all day long, loaded like mules, they cross paths along this dangerous route. the other side, toxic vapours. they are known locally as the convict workers of sulphur. it's 4 o'clock in the morning, at the foot of kawah ijen. matrusen, age 31, catches a ride in a pickup heading for the volcano.

about fifty other miners cram into the truck. the trip takes more than an hour and despite the hell that awaits them, the men are in good spirits. for matrusen and the others, the workday begins with a two-hour hike that serves as a warm up before facing the dangers of the volcano. matrusen has been a miner since he was 13, but he still gets scared every time he makes the descent into the crater.

at the bottom of the volcano pipes collect molten sulphur. when the sulphur is brought to the surface, the contact with cold air hardens it, and then the miners break it down with an iron bar. the work of these men looks pretty simple, but it is very dangerous. at any time the wind can carry toxic acid fumes that burn their lungs. it's like gargling boiling water. none of these guys can afford gas masks, so their only protection from the deadly toxic

fumes are scarves. after an hour of digging around in the belly of kawah ijen matrusen has extracted 180 pounds of sulphur. to reach the summit, he must drag himself over 500 yards with his 180-pound load awkwardly perched on his back. each step is tedious and painful.

there's no time to rest, as the thick smoke is chasing him relentlessly. in the long term, this highly toxic, acidic gas can cause bronchitis, fluids in the lungs and cancer. matrusen needs to hurry; the cloud is not far behind ... within seconds, the vapours envelop him. despite his scarf, his lungs burn. it's a sharp, piercing pain.

made breathless by the gas matrusen has taken two hours to reach the summit of the crater. he still has three miles to go but he's done the hard part and continues his trek on easier paths. after a 20-minute descent, matrusen arrives at the first stage, half way between the crater and the factory. this is where the miners weigh their baskets.

the factory pays them by weight. the going rate is two and a half euro cents per pound of sulphur. the miners are paid at each delivery, often with the company accountant paying them in candy or cigarettes to make up the small change. matrusen bagged himself 8 euros for his 180 pounds of sulphur. he usually works 11-hour days and earns between 150 and 200 euros a month, twice the average wage in indonesia. each day, the hundreds of miners on kawah ijen bring in 10 tons of sulphur.

it is used in indonesia to bleach sugar and paper pulp, to make matches and even to make explosives. for every two pounds sold, the factory pockets 35-euro cents. which is seven times what it pays to the struggling miners that risk their lives every day. it's now 4pm and matrusen returns home exhausted. he lives an hour's drive from the factory in a small wooden house with his wife and three kids. there isn't much to do in these parts, but this weekend there is a village feast kicking off and he doesn't want to miss it.

matrusen wants to show his kids what is happening inside this tent. at first, it might look like a bunch of men in drag. but it's actually a shamanic ceremony. the men dance until the gods of the volcano wake up. although the villagers are all believe in these pagan gods.

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(vo)halfway between the crater and the factory, over a mile above sea level, fifteen men live in these shacks without running water or electricity. most of these guys are part of the maintenance team.

nightfall is at 5 in the afternoon. the men are getting ready to go to sleep. matrusen, has decided to stay with them tonight to pull an all nighter for extra cash. the next morning he will have to begin work early to make as much money as possible. at night time the temperature inside the cabin drops below 40 degrees. to protect themselves against the cold, the miners sleep fully clothed in these plastic sacks.

none of these guys will be getting much sleep tonight... even at this time of night, they are not the first to get to the site.

on the flanks of the crater there are the shadows of dozens of men lurking around getting to work. at the bottom of the crater, there is a nasty surprise. according to one of the mechanics, these are the blue flames made from burning sulphur, and there's a fire that's getting bigger and bigger.

there is no water pump or hose down here so the guys are forced to get close to the flames and have to try and extinguish the scorching, toxic fire with buckets of water.

(vo)despite the dangerous, gruelling nature of this work, there's still no shortage of miners. while there were only 30 in the 1980s, today there are hundreds all trying to scrape a living off the volcano. matrusen takes advantage of the night to pick up as much sulphur as possible before his competitors arrive.

it will take him barely 20 minutes to fill his baskets. the hard part is that in the darkness, the climb up is even more dangerous than before. one missed step could mean plunging to his death in the ravine.

as day breaks, matrusen hurries off to drop his sulphur. he is in a rush because he has an important appointment. he's been breathing in acid gas fumes for years and he's beginning to worry. so for the first time in his life he's decided to go see a doctor. because of the poor money they earn, very few miners will ever see a doctor.

but it's the state of his lungs rather than his shoulders that really worry the doctor. matrusen is only 31 years old. usually miners don't seek any treatment, but he has made the effort to reassure his family. he's praying that the doctor won't ask him to stop working. the life expectancy of those who work on the crater floor rarely exceeds 40 years.

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in this farming village, about thirty miles from kawah ijen lives a former sulphur miner. at 52, sadji can no longer work. he is sick. only the massages his wife gives him manage to temporarily relieve the pain in his body. the former miner has lost everything, his health and his work. now it's up to tildic the eldest son to support the family. he too has become a sulphur convict.

at 18, tildic is the youngest porter at kawah ijen. here when the miners are not working for their kids, it's their kids who work for their sick fathers. yet again, its slim pickings down here. another fire destroyed some of the stocks of sulphur. after a two-hour wait he's finally found some sulphur. but it's not very much. to complete his load he forages for pieces left by others. his baskets are loaded with 180 weight. he is able to carry them but he's waited too long on the crater floor and has ignored the fact that the gas usually

invades the slope more in the afternoon. this young guy is part of the new generation. one that will take over from the old miners who still believe in dragons and spirits. such as these men who go to the bottom of the crater carrying the head of a goat they've sacrificed. to be sure that the kawah ijen will not become angry, every year they offer it this present.

for two hundred years, the sulphur workers have been taking the dangerous paths at kawah ijen and the volcano remains as active as ever. to survive, guys like matrusen tildic and all of the other miners may have to work for many more years in the toxic land of

the sulphur convicts. (vo)every day somewhere in the world normal people risk their lives just getting from a to b. in far off countries and isolated forgotten villages, our camera crews follow the journeys of those brave enough to travel on the world's toughest, most dangerous and deadly roads. buckle up for a hell ride... this... is... deadliest journeys. at a glance this place may look like a shabby junkyard but it is, in fact, the port of kinshasa, one

of the biggest cities in africa. tons of rice, palm oil and spices are transported by hand since the decrepit old harbour cranes have long since stopped working. amidst this chaos is the ngbemani, a freighter that also crams on passengers for an extra buck. there are no cabins or seats and the passengers have to scramble for a decent perch for their long journey. everyone squeezes on board and the bemani soon resembles a floating slum. there are 800 people on board, people off to visit their relatives, attend a marriage or a funeral. others dream of making their fortune and are heading for the diamond mines on the other side of the country. whatever the reason, they are in

for over a thousand miles of misery as this old boat snakes its way through the heart of africa. from kinshasa, all the way to kisangani, the country's third largest city. before he sets sail, the captain says a quick prayer. anything goes in the port of kinshasa, there are no rules and

the boats weave in and out in total anarchy. about ten other boats are hustling around close to the ngbemani. one month behind schedule the ngbemani finally sets off along the river, to the passengers' great relief. as it leaves the port, two barges come alongside the ship to form a water convoy.

there are now 1700 people onboard and the ngbemani has essentially become a floating town. there's no water or electricity on this beast, and every inch of the ship is taken up as living quarters, making it difficult to move around onboard. this guy kindly gives us a tour of the ship's

make-shift bathroom. it takes balls of steel to even contemplate going for a number two. the river congo looks calm almost placid, but looks can be deceiving. the crew are constantly on the lookout for hidden dangers, this river sweeps along debris and tree trunks that could pierce

the hull of the ship at any moment. there are no markers and virtually no navigation charts to help the crew. but captain rene knows this river well and is the only person on board who knows exactly where the rocks and shipwrecks are. there is actually a chart onboard, but it hasn't been updated since belgian colonial days, more than 50 years ago.

there are no life vests or lifeboats on board this ship. in the congo they are not mandatory even though many ships sink into the depths of the river and hundreds of passengers drown every year. after five days the ship has only covered 248 of the 1,000 miles to kisangani. nobody on board really knows when they'll finally arrive. it might be a week, two weeks or even a month.

it's one reason why the passengers refuse to buy a ticket. they need the cash to feed themselves. every day river traders climb on to sell supplies. on today's menu are garden vegetables, forest fruits and fresh fish. but there is rarely enough for everyone. for a few extra congolese francs you can even buy monkey meat. even though the animal is protected and hunting it is forbidden, monkeys are still considered a tasty treat.

this is countdown south carolina. forgot the name of the show p.m. the ngbemani and her captain are fighting against a strong current. after a week they've made only 310 miles. the journey is turning into a

long, tedious nightmare. but the delays prove good business for marie mondobe, an unemployed nurse. a combination of the weather and the worsening sanitary conditions is starting to make people ill. with her limited medical knowledge marie tours the ship looking for the sick. most passengers have never seen, let alone been treated by a doctor. the voyage is particularly hard on the children, especially when the poorest parents give them river water to drink.

nine days on the river and they

are six days behind schedule. so late that those who are sick may not be able to wait for proper medical treatment at the final destination. captain rene has just crossed into the equator region, an invisible border, but one that worries him nonetheless. this potentially rich region is being constantly fought over by armed gangs who want to control its gold and diamond mines. several boats have been attacked and passengers murdered. onboard the ngbemani everyone is tense. even more when this human corpse floats down the river.

day ten and this ratty old boat continues its slow and menotinous journey up the river. every evening captain rene makes the rounds of his ship, to check on his passengers and figure out how much cash he's going to make. he receives a percentage of the take and the sleeping passengers piled on top of each other represent a considerable amount of money when they eventually pay their fares at the end of the journey.

it's three in the morning and marie the nurse has been urgently summoned. a passenger had his foot caught between the two hulls like a vice and his heel has been seriously injured. marie tries to stitch the wound as best she can.

she managed to stitch him up pretty good, but she's concerned about having enough antibiotics to last the whole trip. her main fear is gangrene. amidst all this blood and gore there is one happy event. one of the passengers has just given birth to a healthy baby boy. this passenger helped the mother give birth.

the mother looks a little bemused. it's been a long hard journey just getting on to the ship. news of the birth spreads quickly and so does camaraderie. during the course of the journey two more babies will be born and even if they've seen it all before the sailors are still touched by the births.

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