Bolivia’s Yungas road has always maintained the title as the world’s most dangerous. However, on the complete opposite side of the planet lies another one in the nation of Pakistan.
Pakistan’s 240 kilometre (149 mile) Lowari Pass is the only supply route between the town of Dir and the small villages in the mountainous Chitral Valley. It is here on the Afghan border in the country’s northwest that truckers risk their lives for a paltry US$60 (Pakistan’s average wage) and a bonus of US$180…if they make it back alive with their cargo unharmed.
The trucks are old, some nearing the one million-kilometer mark (620,000 mile) on the odometer, with avalanches, landslides and falling rocks marking the four-day journey. The roads are worn and there are no crash barriers; the road shrinks to just one-lane. The highest point is 3,100 metres (10,170 feet) above sea level where the air is so thin it is difficult to stay awake or even move. Brakes overheat on the descent and without them death is a long drop to oblivion.
So sit back and enjoy this video from Aljazeera of the fearless truckers of Hell’s Road, navigating one of the deadliest and most treacherous roads in the world. And don’t forget to leave a comment below.
Video from Al Jazeera as they do a feature Pakistan’s Hell Road –
Source – Al Jazeera (via CarScoop)
