Indonesian islands pay price for mining tin as demand for metal rises

Published Wed, Jan 11, 2017 · 09:50 PM

    Sungai Liat, Indonesia

    DEEP beneath the murky ocean, Paci breathes through a thin plastic tube as he dredges the seabed for tin, a vital component inside smartphones and tablets that's brought riches and ruin to his island home.

    One-third of the world's tin comes from the Indonesian islands of Bangka and Belitung, where thousands risk serious injury and death in the mines.