On Sunday afternoon, trekkers relaxing after crossing the Thorung La at Muktinath's Nightingale Lodge heard a loud bang.

Police from a nearby APF camp were seen running with stretchers. The driver of a tractor who was racing another one down the mountain died instantly and his helper died later. Even before the Kali Gandaki highway to Tibet is completed, the road has claimed more lives. Last year two people died south of Jomsom when their tractor fell into the river.

The accidents have also drawn attention to what the roads are doing to a once-pristine Annapurna Circuit trekking route. Most locals in Jomsom, Marpha, and Tukuche welcome it, saying it will make food items cheaper and also give access to markets for the region's apples and plums. Many Indian and Nepali pilgrims going to Muktinath pay Rs 700 roundtrip from Jomsom on tractor trailers.

But tourism entrepreneurs and trekkers say road access has already altered the aura of this arid and scenic valley located in the Himalayan rainshadow. "There are already hundreds of motorcycles and tractors on this road, it may turn away tourists," says Jomsom lodge-owner Santosh Sherchan.

On the Manang side, the road from Besisahar to Chame is under construction and has received unfavourable comments on trekkers' blogs this season. Lodge-owners in Manang say their once-remote valley would be better served by upgrading the airport and telecommunications than bringing in a road.

For trekkers Judy Smith and Robin Boustead, the Kali Gandaki may now become like the Karakoram in Pakistan. "Like here, the locals wanted the road and the outsiders didn't," says Smith, "but seeing the endless stream of lorries, motorcycles, and SUVs on the Karakoram Highway you wonder at what cost."

Adds Boustead: "The accident is ironic, really, proves that haste makes waste."