Deadliest Roads | Pakistan | Free Documentary

[Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] these men are extremely concerned they've been stalked from altitude of 3,000 meters for half a day already here the snow is permanent what they don't want to do is spend the night on the mountainside on the low re pass known to all as hell's road which has partially collapsed the drivers only solution is to rebuild it themselves sometimes the road is closed but now we'll be due to the open for the season the people have some problem like the snow they are behaving on each other in humid after we will crash in China [Music] it's taken the drivers seven hours to fill in the gap the pass is roadworthy at least for the time being the lawa repast begins in the town of deer in the tribal regions of northwest Pakistan the road is 240 kilometers long and is the only supply route through the mountains to the small villages of the Kshatriya Valley which is shared with Afghanistan [Music] a road where even the slightest error can be fatal most dangerous the most vicious is the lowering pass Exeter's their drivers are killed aren't you scared of dying on this road yes yes of course we're scared of dying with the help of God we'll get through the tunnel of death [Music] [Music] change gears will you you want to kill us we have not many worries we have worries that we may not come back to our homes we may not meet our children an accident can place in an area like now I'll pass anytime the holy city of deer 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 drivers mechanics assistants of all ages work here every day amid the dust and pollution 23 year old camara is a successful businessman he already owns two trucks one of his trucks laden with two tons of sugar for a village in the sheet rock is about to tackle the low re pass and not surprisingly he's worried he has his best driver at the wheel let me introduce you to Dawood my driver he's getting paid $60 a month and he works with his younger brother they're a very good team very brave $60 a month is the average Pakistanis salary few drivers would accept the risks of the pass for that money so Kamara is offering a 90 dollar bonus each way the bonus the younger drivers find irresistible this is Khalid that was younger brother he's the assistant isn't 14 too young when you're 4 you have no other choice what does your brother do exactly helps me guide the truck past the trickiest parts of the road by giving me directions and he also lets me know if there any problems ahead is he good he has to be otherwise I wouldn't teach him how to drive the truck that was really bad garbage how the wahoo borders here world at 7:00 in the morning it's time to start [Applause] the journey along the lowary pass is far from being a picnic over 240 kilometers the road snakes through the mountains and breathtaking core Nisha's in theory it should take one day to reach the destination but there are a few drivers that can manage that that would however is eager to get the trip over 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 seems to spend his life behind the wheel of his truck I have a very close relationship with my truck it's like my home I eat here I sleep here I spend more time here than I do at home the wood has been a driver for 10 years the truck is ageless the odometer has been stuck forever on seven hundred and seventy six thousand kilometers the brothers don't appear to care and have decorated the truck in their own fashion photos of benazir bhutto former collage with those of the indian pop stars young Pakistanis idolize [Applause] 2,000 meters up and the first difficulties melting snows from torrents that slice through the road dozens of meters at a time creating holes and landslides to get past this torrent we drive slowly and in first gear because the potholes that could be beneath the water how dangerous is that when we're as heavily laden as we are it could break the steering shaft but worse than that would be to tip over every trip damages the tires further cut up by the sharp rocks and already deformed so Khalid checks them one by one for any risk they might burst the lawar e-pass poses one problem after another to help them relax the driver smoked the local drug [Music] smoking hashish stops me worrying about all the problems I'll be facing on this road I forget about the danger this is in our university but without his head elsewhere the woods condition only adds to the dangers of the road drugs are one of the main causes of accidents four years ago faced with an increasing number of injured the Pakistani government financed the construction of a tunnel through the mountains look at this tunnel will soon be able to cross through the mountain which will really make our lives and our jobs far less complicated but for now we still have to cross the peak which is 30 100 meters high and we never know whether we'll make it or not the wood lives just a short distance away before tackling the mountain roads he stops to kiss his children goodbye do you see your kids often that no not really unfortunately will they be drivers maybe the wood has three kids two boys and a girl in this valley where religion is paramount the women are obliged to hide themselves from the glances of the men that would even forbids his mother his wife and his daughter from meeting the crew there is no future here we work that's all the job has no future would you like to buy a truck eventually I am barely enough to feed my family so how do you think I'll be able to afford a truck me I'm going to say about $45,000 and I'll buy a truck it'll be full of decorations as soon as I have the money I'm buying [Applause] [Music] after a two-hour pause the brothers resumed their travels the hardest part of the ascent is about to begin it's an area where the melting snow causes avalanches and landslides [Music] [Applause] [Music] within an hour they will have climbed 1,000 meters to a height of 3 kilometers the climb that poses a stern challenge to even the most experienced drivers a lead get off and take a look it seems to look bad up there the truck struggles to make ten kilometres an hour on the steep climb [Applause] at 2,800 meters the lack of oxygen causes drowsiness and concentrating becomes a chore [Music] the smallest movement requires real effort and staying awake is a major challenge [Music] 300 meters to go before the pass and a chance to rest [Music] here we are at the peak it's very cold up here look down there that's what they call the area of 45 bends the descent is just awful very dangerous because you need to use the brakes the whole time and the brakes get overheated plus it's narrow and on the bends there's not enough room for two trucks to pass so it's vital to concentrate and never take your hands off the wheel outside the tavern the drivers check their merchandise is securely fastened inside others relax from the strain of the climb and gird themselves for the next leg with a hearty meal of boiled mutton the local speciality what qualities does a driver need to cross the mountains a strong heart which means what means having courage and experience he who's never had an accident or any mechanical problems will never make it through [Applause] darwood and his brother head off to face the 45 bends in here on everything is risky the road is extremely slippery hopefully there won't be too much sludge otherwise it'll be helped steer and purchase a fee [Music] negotiating the curves becomes a physical battle the goal is simple go downhill without ever stopping and pray no truck is coming the other way [Music] [Music] [Music] the melting snow has turned the road into a muddy track breaking too harshly means using control and a one-way ticket over the edge into the ravine [Music] is about accomplish well not about when it starts to slide I do nothing I just wait for it to finish you can't even break the truck would just go anywhere see it's almost impossible to turn the wheel [Music] that's when it's light up here dawood owes his life to the perfect control of his truck but he has no control over nature of course and is at the mercy of the sudden avalanches that sweep all before them such as this electricity Pilon there was dildo look at that the Avalanche ripped the Pilon right out and those wires hanging off it could be dangerous why is it dangerous well if the top of the truck it's the cadance it would melt the tires and maybe electrocute us too [Music] one final Bend and the brothers are finally in the chitral Valley [Music] the road is better here it's surfaced and protected by the foothills it'll soon be time for Cal its driving lesson for this bad news in store just a few kilometers further down in the valley [Music] part of the mountain has slid onto the road making any further progress impossible [Applause] is it serious look the mountains still crumbling the roads completely blocked that's going to take that small tractor the whole day to clear a path through is there another way around no this is the only way in the body [Applause] the side of a mountain is unstable and there's a constant series of rock falls below risking life and limb the workers labor non-stop to open a way through hey you mind the vehicle it's expensive get back a bit well I've got to do my work every night a rock breaks loose and hits the front of the tractor someone has to do this job I better get back [Applause] on either side of the rock fold one behind the other some 30 trucks wait for the road to reopen some of the trucker's have been stuck for days some more patient than others past the time as best they can the road has been blocked at least since last night I've been here since then it happens all the time it's the government's fault for not maintaining the roads properly in this region yet it's vital for our work and when we're stuck like this we lose a lot of money it's a small tractor for such a huge mountain everybody's pinning their hopes on the big government bulldozer that has been sent out from Josh a few kilometres away [Applause] Josh is renowned throughout Pakistan for its splendid trucks and it's no coincidence [Music] since the small town is where the most famous truck decorating company in the valley sameen and co can be found it's a family-run business that attracts clients from all over the country sameen's family gives a new lease of life to the trucks but for the most part date back to the 1960s when a truck first comes in it looks like that and our aim is to make it shine and sparkle like this one how much would that cost well that depends on the amount of decoration that the owner wants it can cost us as much as two and a half thousand dollars the shinier it is the more expensive why shine you the owner look good shows his prospering in the workshop the finishing touches have been made to this sort of crown it's work that requires painstaking detail and imagination the colors and motives I invent I do as I please the owner simply wants it to be showy [Music] the crown is finished and will soon decorate the top of the driver's cabin ready and lift way more than 100 kilos the whole family helps with the installation just a tad to the right and lift it up slightly in the old days the decorations were simpler and the owners wanted inside the cabin these days they want them everywhere it's a lot of work is the small kid going to carry on after you nah that's too difficult you don't go to school the trucks owner has arrived and tradition has it that it is he who applies the finishing touch you spent more than five hundred dollars on the decorations equivalent to a seven months look it's decorated all over you see my speakers 400 amps ventilate a new radio to such decorations are good for business it shows the client that the company is doing well you see this is great when we're driving I'm proud having spent so much money on the trial in drush a freshly decorated truck is soon the center of attention and everyone has their opinion but I think the best-looking trucks are in the south don't put the music on show us how well it works [Music] he didn't spend enough money on the decorating it's important to have a nice looking truck same as when you get married you want the bride to be beautiful don't you which is more important trucks of women women of course women are more important imposing in front of the truck might help impress the ladies the following morning on the stretch of road that's been closed the much-anticipated bulldozer finally arrives it doesn't take long to clear a path through the rocks that said well done just a bit more good job [Music] slow down [Music] come on we've wasted enough time already how long have you been stuck here three days it's only a temporary path through the rubble as the mountain continues to collapse braving the rocks the first drivers chance their luck [Applause] now it's da woods turn his younger brother acts as his guide they make it and can finally resume their journey [Music] Derwood is particularly proud of his brother who helped ensure they made the trip in safety and decides to reward him okay come on come and sit over there then [Music] the rest of the roads easier so he can drive why are you doing this nothing needs to stop loving a business is it difficult now he'll pick it up quickly [Applause] go on stop [Applause] okay then go faster [Applause] huh that you look worried yeah I'm not really as long as I'm next to him everything will be fine [Applause] don't you a bit young to drive yes but it's it's what I want to do he's good there's no driving school in these parts the young are taught by their elders go ahead okay go forward there's no one coming up again drive drive [Music] change gears now or you'll stall too late break do as I say or otherwise I'll punch you don't let go of the wheel you idiot I told you not to let go it's dangerous okay all right we're here pull up behind that truck and put the handbrake on and oh that's not bad actually make a good trucker sticks with me another 2 or 3 years he will see let's go of the wheel it's so dangerous to do that on the road our lives so he needs a lesson he'll remember a lead and our would finally make it to Chitral the 240 kilometers long journey took nearly 4 days they now need to unload their consignment quickly and get back on the road as soon as possible make another round trip before the end of the month thanks for your efforts one more bag and we head back oh we did well Kali is somewhat disillusioned the life of a trucker is not what he had hoped it would be [Applause] she trial is the largest town in the valley basic supplies are stopped in the town before being sold to the villages that dot the mountainside along the frontier with Afghanistan one such village is parson some 35 kilometers from Chitral perched at almost 3,000 meters the small village is completely hemmed in it's 1500 inhabitants are consequently self-sufficient living from hunting farming and raising livestock there's any one way to reach pass on the track copped out Bailey a dozen years ago [Music] in shatral passengers throng the Central Depot in the early morning hoping to get a ride on one of the vehicles heading up to the villages this is the place where the four-wheel-drive vehicles leave from as it's the only way to get up into the mountains trucks can't manage these roads at g28 owns the jeep that he uses for the drive up to pass on like his father before him he provides a shuttle service for the villagers several times a week an entire family is on board for today's trip along one of the most notorious mountain tracks in the region but his four-wheel drive has a mechanical problem oh look at this it's leaking everywhere there are the puzzles they need me in the village I'm the only form of transport they have someone gets sick then it's up to me to transport them so the GP needs to be fixed as soon as possible so we can get going but the problem is more serious than predicted a part of the transmission is totally worn out look it's useless now you look worried well yes I am it's almost impossible to find a spare part so what are you gonna do I don't know I've got a serious problem finding the right part in this isolated mountain village is like finding a needle in a haystack hello I'm looking for a replacement for this no I I don't have that look somewhere else [Music] morning dad do you have this no no dad let me sleep [Music] no no I don't have a public huh yeah listen stop looking you'll never find it one last hope in this shop two four six eight ten okay it's $60 [Music] two hours later and the Jeep is repaired and ready to face the mountain track a g-loads one ton of goods and passengers so far ten-month-old and her parents are happy after two weeks in hospital suffering from fever the little girl can finally go home [Applause] we're going to risk this road it's dangerous but there's no other way to get to the village are you worried about your family yes especially for the baby [Music] have a good trip Thanks space is at a premium and about 10 passengers are squeezed into the back the family is more comfortably placed next to had you let's listen to some music before heading up the mountain they need to cross the river on an ancient wooden bridge [Applause] this is an old bridge being repaired many times but it's still a very fragile I don't like crossing it listen to the noise it makes now whatever stops on that they're too scared [Applause] after the bridge the next challenge is to make the village before nightfall [Music] spending the night on the mountainside could prove fatal freezing sub-zero temperatures and Rock Falls that could sweep the vehicle away are the biggest fears [Music] [Applause] to pay his respects to a friend killed on the road Azam is heading up to the village for the wake last year he was duped by the accident so I need to go there to meet their family his wife and his son sensed children's the road is terrible in some part is very dangerous and sometimes sleeping the garden will be silly [Music] [Applause] during the day the temperatures are unbearable reaching 40 degrees an overheated engine needs constant attention three hours into the journey and the passengers are suffering from the scorching heat solana my baby you'll be all right don't worry will soon be that she's thirsty the poor thing this is the most dangerous part it's called the tunnel of death may Allah protect us god is great he will protect us he has to the tunnel of death is some 10 kilometers of a hand-carved passage that runs through the mountain the roof is unstable and falling rocks a constant danger [Music] when this was being built - what men were killed when they fell into the ravine everyone's scared of this place [Applause] [Music] the vehicle passes without incident the relief is short-lived at the tunnel of deaths exit the river is swollen making it impossible to get past they'll have to spend the night on the mountainside hey go and look down by the river I've now got a major problem the currents too strong to cross now I don't think we can make it today Solanas mother is worried to distraction [Applause] some of the more intrepid passengers take their lives into their hands and try to cross the river on foot it's impossible there's no way to cross this one there's no way to get across one foolhardy youngster gives it a go with a river that can't be crossed and a freezing night in Prospect salanas parents can no longer wait we're carrying on on foot we just can't risk being stuck here all night it's a long way to the village but we've got no choice okay come on let's go [Music] under a merciless Sun the family starts the climb take her please I can't manage her anymore the footpath dates back to the years before the road track [Music] the baby's grandfather worried by the swollen rivers has headed down to meet his family look sweetie that's where we live our powerful it's at least another three hours on foot to the house [Music] how are you well we're fine yeah take take a little go she's tied whenever my family uses the track I'm scared never know if I'll ever see them again so I always head down to wait for them on the side of the road and to help if there's a problem like today cover up please she she needs to sleep outside Solana's father has in the meanwhile resumed weaving wool in the manner that's been used for generations and which hasn't altered in centuries we but home and then go down to town to sell it's a way to make a bit of money there's not much else we can do up here to make a living the wool sells for three dollars a meter in the markets of chitral enough to purchase a few clothes and pay for the lift in the Jeep down on the road spirits have lifted as the waters have begun to slowly recede and to make the crossing in the vehicle easier the passengers are helping place stones on the riverbed you see the voltage exploding very fast the vehicle starts cross easily that's why they are putting this down there push push down again and again one more time okay all together now and again right now we can cross I'm happy [Music] I've told the passengers to get off it's safer this way camera men climb on board [Music] a few kilometers on and the village of Poisson is finally in view the bag of sugar please aji has taken 10 hours to cover the 35 kilometers but he's still smiling since once again he's cheated death I'm here at home my family and friends God was on our side again [Music] elsewhere in the village Azam has reached the house where the wake will take place now as the son of the deceased greets him hello my friend how are you are you well yes I'm well than you my condolences for your father thank you how's your mother doing may God help us all she passed away what happened a few months after the father's accident it was her turn to be taken surprisingly it's in the remotest parts of Pakistan that women are the most liberated religion is important here of course but it's interpreted in a more flexible manner here women are not hidden from the eyes of men look these are the last pictures of my father was also in the Jeep when the accident happened the driver hadn't engaged the vehicle into four-wheel drive and so it overturned that's how my father died neither myself nor the other passengers had a scratch to help celebrate the wake Nawaz will sacrifice one of his finest goats yeah we'll take this one she's nice and big and plump I thank you a lot for accepting the sacrifice in your name give me the knife please the knife has to be as sharp as possible so the goat doesn't suffer any pain pain is a sin this is for sacrifice must honor the Animus come and help me please I'm almost ready okay don't them Allah is great Allah is great help us another spouse kids are important because we use them to make drums also very warm blankets as well as covers to protect our backs with caring very head loads because boy it also make shoes for the winter from them prevent you from sliding in the snows we look after our hair post Nawaz personally prepares the meal 30 guests all men are expected that evening [Music] the musicians begin their dirge in honor of the dead it's in praise to the road that despite its victims is the lifeline that links them to the outside world [Music] [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary

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Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, most dangerous roads, most dangerous journeys, worlds most dangerous roads, worlds most dangerous journeys, deadliest roads, deadliest roads in the world, dicing with death, deadliest journeys, deadliest journeys china, deadliest roads pakistan, worlds deadliest roads pakistan, dangerous roads pakistan, dicing with death pakistan

Id: 1quNm7Ctd-Q

Length: 48min 48sec (2928 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 24 2019