Egyptian quarrymen

Egyptian quarrymen

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In the limestone quarries of Minya province south of Cairo, labourers in sandals and makeshift masks use unsheathed rotor blades to gouge the white, fossil-rich rock into house bricks.

The workers in the snow-white landscape - farmers and university graduates among them - plan to strike next month.

. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Quarry workers told Reuters they make between $10 and $16 a day and suffer from scant safety measures and a lack of social and medical insurance despite some having lost arms, legs or fingers in accidents.

. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Minya’s governor ordered in April that a hospital be built near the quarries, local officials said. With double-digit unemployment in a nation battered by political and economic turmoil since a 2011 uprising, the quarries attract men unable to find work elsewhere.

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Slideshow

Quarry workers wait for transport to work as dawn breaks in Shurafa village.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Quarry workers wait for transport to work as dawn breaks in Shurafa village.

Quarry workers wait in a pick-up truck to be transported to work.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Quarry workers wait in a pick-up truck to be transported to work.

A worker holds a rotor blade in a storage room.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A worker holds a rotor blade in a storage room.

A man walks near a rotor blade used to cut through limestone.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A man walks near a rotor blade used to cut through limestone.

A man is surrounded by a cloud of dust.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A man is surrounded by a cloud of dust.

A masked worker protects himself from dust as best he can.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A masked worker protects himself from dust as best he can.

A labourer walks near bricks.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A labourer walks near bricks.

A worker masks his face to protect himself from the dust.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A worker masks his face to protect himself from the dust.

Workers rest momentarily.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Workers rest momentarily.

A quarry worker stacks bricks.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A quarry worker stacks bricks.

A worker uses a machine with a rotor blade to cut limestone.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A worker uses a machine with a rotor blade to cut limestone.

Workers extract limestone.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Workers extract limestone.

A labourer walks across bricks.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A labourer walks across bricks.

A masked worker walks across the quarry.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A masked worker walks across the quarry.

A worker drinks water.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A worker drinks water.

The sun rises as men work in the quarry.
. Minya, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The sun rises as men work in the quarry.