Overview
- Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar, a 30-year-old climber nicknamed the 'Spiderman of Yemen', fell while climbing without safety gear inside the Haradhat Damt crater, an accident that local authorities say occurred on Friday, June 12.
- Yemen’s Civil Defense confirmed the death, published a short video showing the fall, and said rescue teams located his body about 30 meters below the water in the crater’s hot, sulfurous lake.
- Recovering the body required a hazardous, technically complex operation that used climbers, divers and a hoisting cage to lift the remains from the crater floor.
- Reports vary on how long the recovery took, with some accounts saying roughly four hours and others saying the operation extended to about 24 hours, but all sources agree the terrain and heat made the mission unusually dangerous.
- Antar built a large online following by posting unroped climbs on vertical volcanic walls, and Civil Defense used the case to praise rescuers and to warn creators and adventurers to use proper safety equipment to avoid similar deaths.