People who live beside volcanoes

For 20 years the city of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, was destroyed overnight, following the eruption of three volcanoes, Tavurvur and Vulcan, Rabalankaia. Thanks to a timely warning, a large part of the population and tourists managed to escape in time, as the ashes and lava invaded the houses and buildings of the town.

Despite having been destroyed and lost the status of the country's capital, Rabaul was not alone: who has rebuilt his life in ruins despite the threat of new eruptions or severe respiratory diseases.

Intrigued by this lack of respect for nature, the French photographer Eric Lafforgue flew Rabaoul to document the lives of these brave: he found children playing in abandoned buildings and person to eat eggs buried in the ash.

"The rain soaked thick ash fell on the houses, and about 80 percent of buildings collapsed with the weight," explained Lafforgue. The photographer explained have found the former mayor of Rabaul, which after the death of his wife in 1994 eruption, ended up living alone in front of Tavurvur.

There is also a hotel under the volcano Rabaul, which reopened in 2005 and who seeks adventurous tourists. "All rooms have a view of the volcano, and when the wind blows, we couldn't see anything because of the ash," concluded the photographer.

The old airport, destroyed by the eruption, is covered by three meters of gray. "Nobody knows why it was built at the foot of the volcano. See some of the pictures of Eric.

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