Every day, somewhere in the world, normal people risk life and limb
just getting from A to B. In far off countries
and isolated forgotten villages, our camera crews follow the journeys
of those brave enough to travel on the world's toughest,
most dangerous, and deadly roads. Buckle up for a hell ride. This is<i> Deadliest Journeys</i>. The holy city of Dir, and its 20,000 inhabitants
make their living off the road. Each day, tons of goods are loaded
and unloaded from trucks, the only means of transport in the region. The truckers' quarter
provides most of the jobs here. The drivers, mechanics and assistants who work here every day
in the dust and pollution. Twenty- three year old Kamara
is a successful businessman. He already owns two trucks, and is sending out two of his best drivers
on this deadly road. This truck is loaded to the brim
with two tons of sugar and is heading
for a village in the Chitral Valley. [foreign language] The Lowari Pass begins in the town of Dir in the tribal region
of northwest Pakistan. The road is 240 kilometers long,
and is the only supply route through the mountains
to the small villages of the Chitral Valley,
which is shared with Afghanistan. He gets going at 7 in the morning. The journey along the Lowari pass
is a serious mission. The 240 kilometer road snakes
through the mountains and breathtaking cliff faces. In theory, it should take
one day to drive, but there are few drivers
that can manage that. Dawud, however,
is keen to get the trip over with as quickly as possible,
despite the danger. He wants to
make as many journeys as possible in order to
take advantage of the bonuses. So he drives without stopping and spends his life
behind the wheel of his truck. [foreign language] Dawud has been a driver for ten years. The truck is ageless. The odometer has been stuck forever
on 776,000 kilometers. The brothers don't care,
they've pimped their truck inside and out. It now looks like a wild creation
fresh out of a Pakistani Mad Max movie. This is the hardest part of the ascent, an area where the melting snow
causes avalanches and landslides almost every day. Within an hour,
they would have climbed 1,000 meters, to a height of three kilometers. The climb that poses a challenge
to even a seasoned pro. [foreign language] The truck barely winds up to
ten kilometers an hour on these steep climbs. At 2,800 meters
the lack of oxygen causes drowsiness, and concentrating becomes hard work. The smallest movement
requires real effort, and staying awake is a major challenge. But there is still
300 meters to go before the pass, and a chance to get some rest. [foreign language] After the battle
to reach the top of the mountain, they face a whole new nightmare,
the descent. [foreign language] Negotiating the corners
is a physical battle. The idea is to get downhill
without ever stopping and pray no truck is coming the other way. The melting snow has turned the road
into a slippery mud track. Braking too harshly means losing control, and a one way ticket
over the edge into the ravine. [foreign language] The end is in sight, with one more bend,
and they will be in the Chitral Valley. The road is a lot better here. It's surfaced
and protected by the foothills, and it will soon be time
for Khalid's driving lesson. But little do they know,
a few kilometers along the road, a landslide has made it impossible
for them to get any further. The rockslide has created
a huge traffic jam in both directions. [foreign language] The side of the mountain is unstable and there is
a constant series of rockfalls. Below, risking life and limb the workers work as quickly
as possible to clear the way. A rock breaks loose
and hits the front of a tractor. Most of the trucks
have been stuck here for days. [foreign language] This town, Drosh, is renowned throughout the country
for its pimped out trucks. The small town is home to one of the most famous truck
decorating companies in the country. It's a family business, attracting clients
from all over the region. Zwin's family pimp and decorate
old beaten up trucks, that for the most part
date back to the 60s. [foreign language] In the workshop, the finishing touches
have been made to this beast of a truck. It requires painstaking detail
and a trippy imagination. [foreign language] The truck's owner arrives and it's tradition
that he adds the final touch. He has spent the equivalent
of seven months' salary. So with the new truck, he hopes he will become
a local sex symbol. [foreign language] The following morning,
on the closed stretch of road, the much anticipated bulldozer arrives. It doesn't take long to clear
a path through the rocks. The path through is only temporary, as rocks are constantly sliding
from the mountain. The first few truckers brave the rocks and Dawud and his brother run the gauntlet
and continue their journey. Dawud is proud of his brother's work. He decides to reward him
with a driving lesson from hell. [foreign language] There's no such thing
as a driving school in these parts. The young are taught
by their elders with an iron fist. A wrong move
gets you more than a cross in a box. [foreign language] The guys have finally made it
to the Chitral Valley. The 240 kilometer long journey
took the best part of four days. They now need to unload their truck and get back on the road
as soon as possible, to make sure
they can fit in another round trip before the end of the month. [foreign language] Khalid is disillusioned
by what he has seen. The life of a trucker
is not what he'd hoped it would be. Chitral is the largest town in the valley, and the basic supplies
are stocked in the town before being sold to the villages
that dot the mountainside along the frontier with Afghanistan. One of the villages is Parsan,
35 kilometers from Chitral. Sat at almost 3,000 meters,
the village is completely hemmed in. Its 1,500 inhabitants
have to be totally self-sufficient, living from hunting,
farming and raising livestock. The only way to reach Palsan
is up a dangerously thin track carved out barely a dozen years ago. Back in Chitral, people surround the central Jeep Depot
in the early morning, hoping to catch a ride
on one of the vehicles heading up to their villages. [foreign language] 28 year old Hajji owns the Jeep
that he uses for the drive up to Parsan. He provides a shuttle service
for the villagers several times a week. This time, the entire family
is on board for today's mission, along one of the most notorious
mountain tracks in the region. [foreign language] Hajji loads a ton of goods onto his jeep. The parents of this girl are happy. After two weeks in hospital
suffering from fever, the little girl can finally get back home. [foreign language] Space is tight and about ten passengers
are crammed like sardines in the back. [foreign language] Before heading up the mountain, they need to cross the river
on a super sketchy, ancient bridge. No one ever thinks
about stopping on this thing. [foreign language] After the bridge, the next challenge
is to get to the village before nightfall. Spending the night
on the mountainside is not even an option due to freezing nighttime temperatures and rock falls
that could crush the vehicle, instantly killing everyone inside. This man is on his way to the village to pay his respects
to a friend who died on this very road. Last year, he was dead by accident. So I need to go there
to meet their family. His wife and his sons, and his children. The road is terrible. In some parts it is very dangerous. Sometimes the car will slip and fall down. So this happens sometimes. During the day,
the temperatures are unbearable, reaching a skin-blistering 40 degrees. An overheated engine
needs constant attention. Three hours into the journey, and the passengers are seriously suffering
from the scorching heat. [foreign language] Solana's mother
is worried sick at the thought of spending the night on the mountainside. Some of the passengers get impatient and have a go
at crossing the river by foot. With a river that can't be crossed
and a freezing night ahead, Solana's parents can't wait any longer, and decide to bail
and hike the rest of the way home. [foreign language] Back at the river, spirits have lifted
as the water has begun to slowly recede and the guys have narrowly escaped
a night stranded on the mountain. Hajji's journey has taken 10 hours
to cover a measly 35 kilometers. But he's still got a smile on his face,
as once again he has escaped death. Later that night, the musicians
begin their dirge in honor of the dead. It's embraced the road that,
despite its victims, is the lifeline
that links them to the outside world.
