Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar, known online as the “Spider-Man of Yemen,” died after falling into the Hardah Dam volcanic crater during an unaided climb.
A Yemeni free-climber known online as the “Spider-Man of Yemen” has died after falling into a volcanic crater while attempting to scale its steep rock face without safety equipment, local authorities said.
Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar, 30, fell on Friday at the Hardah Dam volcanic crater in south-western Yemen, one of the country’s best-known natural landmarks. He had built a large social media following with videos of acrobatic stunts and risky climbs.
Video footage circulating online appears to show Antar climbing a near-vertical wall of the crater before losing his grip and falling. The circumstances immediately before the fall have not been detailed beyond the authorities’ account that he was climbing without safety gear.
Yemen’s Civil Defence Authority said Sunday that its water rescue team recovered Antar’s body from the bottom of the crater after what it described as a dangerous weekend operation. The authority called the mission “one of the most difficult and complex field rescue missions,” citing rugged terrain, high temperatures and harsh conditions inside the crater.
The agency said the rescue team was promoted after the recovery, praising its “exceptional field capabilities” during the operation. Footage produced by the authority showed rescuers descending the crater with climbing equipment and lowering a cage to retrieve the body.
According to the Associated Press account cited in the report, divers found Antar’s body inside the 120-metre-wide crater at a depth of 30 metres below the water surface.
The Hardah Dam site in Dhale province has drawn visitors in recent years, in part because of the hot sulfur lake at the base of the crater. Antar’s death has brought renewed attention to the risks of extreme climbing at natural sites where falls and rescue conditions can quickly become life-threatening.
Comments (0)