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A daredevil adventurer known as “The Spider-Man of Yemen” has died after falling into a volcano crater while attempting to climb vertical rock faces without safety equipment, authorities said.
Al Qaqa Ibn Antar, 30, was climbing the steep walls of the Hardah Dam volcanic crater in the southern province of Dhale on Friday when he lost his grip and fell into the 120 metre (393 feet) crater, according to the Civil Defence Authority, which posted a short video capturing the moment of his fall.
He had become widely known for videos showing him climbing steep cliffs and volcanic formations without protective gear, sometimes marking high points on rock faces with white chalk writing.
The 10-second video shows Antar climbing a rocky cliff without any safety equipment. On the cliff he is scaling names in Arabic have been written in white across the rocky wall. He is then seen holding the cliff with his right hand, with his left hand in the air, before he appears to lose his right grip and falls.
Rescue teams, including diving and water specialists, were sent to retrieve Antar’s body, which was found by divers at a depth of 30 metres (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 Defence 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.”
Yemen Online also previously reported that Antar had cited poverty as a motivation for undertaking the dangerous climbs in an attempt to earn income.
Associated Press
