The mines in the northern part of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais were once the most important diamond sources in the world.
But the mines are long abandoned, now just craters stripped nearly bare by multinational mining companies.
Yet in this rural and remote area, there are still hundreds of Brazilians who depend on the mines for survival. Using only hand-held tools, rural workers who stay in bare huts descend upon the depleted no-man's land looking for a windfall.
Without electricity, running water, or a steady income, these workers barely manage to survive – unless their luck suddenly turns and a rare windfall springs forth.
AP photographer Felipe Dana recently traveled to the desolate and grueling mines of Areinha to document the struggling miners' experience.
Minas Gerais is Brazil's second-most populous state and is larger than France in land area. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the remote and arid northern region of the state played host to a massive diamond rush, which has now petered out substantially.

This November 2015 satellite image shows craters left by corporate mining. The area of Areinha is a region devastated by mining and deforestation. Groups of artisanal miners try their luck in the abandoned mines.

The miners use water pumps to separate rocks in the craters, sifting and searching for a payload overlooked by centuries of mining.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider