June 9, 2012 8:11 PM - By John Bentley
(CBS News) SALANG, Afghanistan - Since Pakistan closed the Khyber Pass border-crossing late last year, NATO
has had to supply its forces through the Salang Tunnel, a 1.6-mile long Soviet-era relic with unforgiving dimensions
and a deadly history.
With only inches to spare, a huge tanker squeezed past a bus and through the Salang Tunnel. The badly rutted
road can jam trucks against the rocks or tip them over. Drivers can wait for more than a week to get through this
dangerous mountain pass.
Despite the risks, coalition troops rely on the tunnel for 85 percent of their fuel. This is the best route available since
Pakistan closed its borders to NATO trucks seven months ago. Since then, a tunnel built for 1,000 vehicles a day has
10 times that traffic.
The tunnel has no lights. And the ventilation system doesn't work. The air is choked with such high levels of carbon
monoxide that some passengers get sick.
While there are other routes through the Hindu Kush mountains, the Salang Tunnel is the only one that is protected.
So drivers have to make a choice: take your chances on this road, or risk being attacked by insurgents.
The Salang Tunnel was built by the Soviets in 1964, but never completely finished. Almost 1,000 Soviet troops died of
asphyxiation in 1982 when an explosion trapped them in the tunnel. Since then, hundreds of travelers have died in
accidents and avalanches.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dyLGT7Uj0OA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
(CBS News) SALANG, Afghanistan - Since Pakistan closed the Khyber Pass border-crossing late last year, NATO
has had to supply its forces through the Salang Tunnel, a 1.6-mile long Soviet-era relic with unforgiving dimensions
and a deadly history.
With only inches to spare, a huge tanker squeezed past a bus and through the Salang Tunnel. The badly rutted
road can jam trucks against the rocks or tip them over. Drivers can wait for more than a week to get through this
dangerous mountain pass.
Despite the risks, coalition troops rely on the tunnel for 85 percent of their fuel. This is the best route available since
Pakistan closed its borders to NATO trucks seven months ago. Since then, a tunnel built for 1,000 vehicles a day has
10 times that traffic.
The tunnel has no lights. And the ventilation system doesn't work. The air is choked with such high levels of carbon
monoxide that some passengers get sick.
While there are other routes through the Hindu Kush mountains, the Salang Tunnel is the only one that is protected.
So drivers have to make a choice: take your chances on this road, or risk being attacked by insurgents.
The Salang Tunnel was built by the Soviets in 1964, but never completely finished. Almost 1,000 Soviet troops died of
asphyxiation in 1982 when an explosion trapped them in the tunnel. Since then, hundreds of travelers have died in
accidents and avalanches.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dyLGT7Uj0OA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
