The Ash Gatherers
Kike Rincon, Europa Press Agency, Spain
The lava and ash expelled by the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, on September 19, 2021, sparked the evacuation of thousands of people and great damage to the island's economy. The island of La Palma ranks second in banana production after the much larger island of Tenerife, and represents 50% of its GDP. The job of a banana picker is one of the hardest in the world. Each day a worker can carry on his back more than 150 'pineapples' or bunches of bananas that weigh between 50 and 120 kilos. In addition, after the start of the volcano eruption and the emission of thousands of tons of ash, working conditions have worsened.