The old road in the province of Yungas, Bolivia is labeled as the most dangerous road in the world. It is about 44 miles (70 km) long and connects Coroico with La Paz. They call it the death road because every year 100 - 200 people lose their lives along it.
Information on when the road was built varies. According to some sources - it was built way back in the 30s of the 20th century by Paraguayan prisoners. Other sources claim that the beginning of the death road came much later - in the 70s of the 20th century - built by an American construction company.
The death road goes down from 15 416 ft (4700 m) to 984 ft (300 m) above sea level - the slopes are exceptionally steep, the pavement is slippery. There are such narrow sections that two cars cannot pass by each other, there are no guardrails.
Besides all the difficulties along the road, there is often heavy rainfall, which in turn, cause mudslides. Asphalt is almost a rarity - it only exists in the first 12.5 miles (20 km) of the road. In 1995, it was labeled as "the most dangerous road". The death road is a name it received at a later period, in 1999.
It was then that 8 Israeli tourists died, the car that they were in having fallen over the cliff. This is by no means the most tragic incident that has occurred on this dangerous and steep place.
In the long gone year of 1983, on July 24, a bus that was carrying over 100 passengers fell into the canyon. That was also the year when there were the most deaths in the 44 mile (70 km) stretch - over 320 people. It is claimed that before locals begin their journey along the road, they pray for safe passage.
And even though it is infamous, it is the only road that connects the capital of Bolivia with its northern part - the use of this 44 mile (70 km) section actually increases, regardless of the facts known about it.
During the 90s of the 20th century, the death road turned into a great attraction for thrill seekers. Despite its notoriety, 25 000 tourists visited it just to travel along it.
Since 2006, money has been given for the construction of an encircling route - the passage along the most dangerous road has been moved.
