The 800-mile Karakoram Highway is plagued by a terrifying ensemble of natural disasters, including landslides, avalanches, flooding, and heavy snow.
Though it’s a popular tourist destination (some have referred to it as the “eighth world wonder”), the highway sees frequent fatalities. In October, 17 people were killed when a bus tumbled into a gorge after the driver took a sharp turn along the highway. A month earlier, a tourist was killed in a landslide that hit her van.
Incidents like these have occurred since the road was first built in 1959. Roughly 1,000 workers were killed during the highway’s construction due to blasts or landslides.