In a tragic turn of events, a well-known adventurer who went by the moniker “The Spider-Man of Yemen” has died following a daring climb that ended in disaster. Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar, a 30-year-old thrill-seeker, plunged into a volcanic crater while scaling its vertical rock faces without any safety gear, as reported by local authorities.
The accident unfolded on Friday in Yemen’s southern Dhale province at the Hardah Dam volcanic crater. As per the Civil Defense Authority, which shared a brief video capturing the incident, Antar was in the midst of his climb when he suddenly lost his grip and fell into the 120-meter (393-foot) deep crater.
The video, lasting only 10 seconds, shows Antar fearlessly navigating a steep, rocky cliff without the use of harnesses or ropes. Arabic names, painted in white, are visible across the rocky face he was climbing. In a heart-stopping moment, Antar is seen hanging on with his right hand while his left waves in the air, before tragically losing his hold and plummeting downwards.
Following the fall, a team of rescuers, including diving and water specialists, was dispatched to the scene. They managed to recover Antar’s body from a depth of approximately 30 meters (100 feet) below the water’s surface, where it had settled after the fall.
Rescue teams, including diving and water specialists, were sent to retrieve Antar’s body, which was found by divers at a depth of 30 meters (100 feet) below the water surface.
The four-hour search and rescue operation was described by the authority as “complex” due to the steep and rocky location, which made access difficult.
The Hardah Dam — known also as the Haradhat Damt — is a unique volcanic crater located near the city of Damt, in Yemen‘s southern Dahle province. A landmark of the region, the crater has steep rocky walls with a hot sulfurous lake at its base.
Antar had gained fame on social media platforms where he posted videos showing him performing high-risk ascents of some of Yemen’s most rugged terrain.
His videos often went viral. In one of them, he was seen hanging from the edge of a rocky cliff using his bare hands, his legs dangling toward a steep slope in a risky performance without 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.”