Hellfire Pass

Common card · No. 405187

Hellfire Pass, known locally as Chong Khao Kard (Thai: ช่องเขาขาด, lit. "Torn Valley Pass") and in Japanese as Konyu Cutting, is the name of a railway cutting on the former Burma Railway ("Death Railway") in Thailand, which was built with forced labour during World War II. More than 250,000 Southeast Asian civilians and 12,000 Allied soldiers built the railway line, including Hellfire Pass. The pass is noted for the harsh conditions and heavy loss of life suffered by its labourers during construction. It was called Hellfire Pass because the sight of emaciated prisoners labouring by burning torchlight resembled a scene from Hell.

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