CAIRO — A Yemeni thrill-seeker widely known as “The Spider-Man of Yemen” has died after falling into a volcanic crater while climbing a sheer rock face without protective gear, authorities said.
Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar, 30, was scaling the steep inner walls of the Hardah Dam volcanic crater in Yemen’s southern Dhale province on Friday when he lost his hold and plunged into the 120-meter-deep (393-foot-deep) crater, according to the Civil Defense Authority. The agency also released a brief video that captured the fall.
The 10-second clip shows Antar climbing the rocky surface with no safety equipment. Arabic names painted in white can be seen across the cliff face. At one point, he appears to be supporting himself with his right hand while his left arm is raised, before his grip gives way and he falls.
Rescue crews, including divers and water rescue specialists, were dispatched to recover Antar’s body. Divers later found him about 30 meters (100 feet) below the water’s surface. The Civil Defense Authority said the four-hour recovery effort was “complex” because the crater’s steep, rocky terrain made access especially difficult.
The Hardah Dam, also known as Haradhat Damt, is a distinctive volcanic crater near the city of Damt in Yemen’s southern Dhale province. Considered a regional landmark, it is marked by sharp rocky walls and a hot, sulfur-rich lake at the bottom.
Antar had built a large following on social media by posting videos of himself tackling dangerous climbs across some of Yemen’s harshest landscapes. His stunts frequently drew widespread attention online. In one video, he was seen dangling by his bare hands from the edge of a rocky cliff, his legs hanging over a steep drop, again without any safety equipment.
The Civil Defense Authority has urged those who climb and engage in adventure sports to observe safety procedures and issued a warning to use “appropriate protective gear to avert similar incidents.”
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