The Salang tunnel is a link between northern and southern Afghanistan crossing the Hindukush mountain range. The Hindu Kush or Hindukush (هندوکش in Persian) is a mountain range in Afghanistan as well as in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. ...

Overview

The tunnel represents the major north-south connection in Afghanistan, cutting travel from 72 hours to 10 hours and saving about 300 km. It reaches an altitude of about 3,400 m and is 2.6 km long. The width and height of the tunnel tube are 7 m. About 1000 vehicles pass through the tunnel daily.

In 1955 Afghanistan and the Soviet Union signed an agreement to initiate joint development of the Salang road, initially via the historic Salang mountain pass route. The tunnel was opened in 1964 and provided a year-round connection from the North and the Soviet Union to Kabul. The tunnel was the highest road tunnel in the world until 1973, when the United States built the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel — just slightly higher and slightly longer — in the Rocky Mountains. (Another higher tunnel in Tajikistan remains incomplete.) 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass (also gap, notch, col, saddle, bwlch or bealach) is a lower point that allows easier access through the range. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Kabul, Kâbl (locally: کابل), is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population of approximately 3 million people. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Categories: Stub | Tunnels | Transportation in Colorado ... Moraine Lake, and the Valley of the Ten Peaks, Banff National Park, British Columbia, Canada The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. ...

Accidents

Fire

During the Soviet-Afghan war, the tunnel was a crucial military link to the South yet prone to ambushes by the mujaheddin. On November 3, 1982 the Salang tunnel fire killed up to 2000 people when, apparently after a collision, a tanker truck blew up in the tunnel and the fire engulfed a military convoy. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a 10-year war which wreaked incredible havoc and destruction on Afghanistan. ... Mujahideen (مجاهدين; also transliterated as mujāhidīn, mujahedeen, mujahedin, mujahidin, mujaheddin, etc. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Salang tunnel fire occurred on November 3, 1982 in Afghanistans only road tunnel, during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. ...

After the 1989 Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, maintenance suffered, and eventually, in the course of combat between the Afghan Northern Alliance and the Taliban in 1997-1998, the tunnel's entrances and ventilation system were destroyed, so that it could only be crossed by foot in the dark. After the defeat of the Taliban, a joint effort between agencies from Afghanistan, the United States, Russia, France and others cleared the mines and debris and reopened the tunnel on January 19, 2002. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Northern Alliance is a term used by the western media, Taliban and Al Qaida to identify the military coalition of various Afghan groups fighting the Taliban. ... Flag flown by the Taliban. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Avalanche

Several weeks after reopening several hundred people got trapped in the tunnel due to an avalanche at its southern end. While most people got rescued, fatalities occurred due to asphyxiation and freezing. After further rehabilitation, in July 2004, the tunnel was able to carry bidirectional traffic. A Himalayan avalanche. ...

References

• World's highest road tunnels
• Resurrection for Afghan tunnel - BBC
• Rebuilding Afghanistan: Opening the Salang Tunnel - from the United States Agency for International Development
• Photos of Salang Tunnel avalanche
• Photos of road to Salang Tunnel