A Yemeni adventurer known online as “The Spider-Man of Yemen,” Al-Qaqa’ Antar Al-Absi, died after falling into the Hardah volcanic crater near Damt in Dahle province. Civil Defense teams dispatched diving and water rescue efforts, later retrieving his body aft
When Al-Qaqa’ Antar Al-Absi began climbing, the videos looked like pure nerve—gripping handholds and moving across steep rock as if gravity couldn’t reach him. Then, on June 12, the stunt ended in the kind of fall that doesn’t leave room for redemption.
Yemen’s Civil Defense Authority announced on X that the 30-year-old adventurer—also known as “The Spider-Man of Yemen”—fell into the Hardah volcanic crater near the city of Damt in Dahle province. southern Yemen. In photos and videos shared on social media. he is shown descending the sheer face of the crater. moving through what appear to be acrobatic stretches before going down into the volcanic waters below.
The response began quickly. Shortly after the fall, the Civil Defense Authority said it dispatched diving and water rescue teams. Antar’s body was found later on June 12, according to subsequent posts from the agency, but the recovery effort did not culminate until June 13.
It was on June 13 that the Civil Defense Authority posted that rescue teams from the Civil Defense Service. “with God’s help and facilitation. ” had successfully retrieved the body of “citizen Qa’qa’ Antar al-Abssi. aged 30 years. ” from one of the volcanic craters in the Dhamt district of Dhala Governorate. The post included a video of the operation.
The difficulty of getting him out was tied directly to the crater itself. A Yemeni news agency, Saba, reported—citing a Civil Defense Authority source—that the recovery was complicated by the crater’s rugged terrain, its significant depth, and intense heat.
Those involved in the operation were honored in a ceremony on June 14, according to a post on the Civil Defense Authority’s X account.
Antar’s online fame came from a long run of videos showing him scaling walls and performing what viewers often interpreted as stunts made to defy gravity—without any safety equipment—at scenic locations across Yemen. Over time. his following grew: he amassed more than 320. 000 followers on Facebook. and some of his reels drew millions of views.
The sequence of the incident—fall on June 12. teams dispatched soon after. body located the same day. then recovery completed on June 13—left little room for uncertainty about what happened. But the timing of the retrieval underscored how quickly risk can outpace rescue: even when the body is found. getting it out of a volcanic crater can take longer than the moment that breaks a life.
Yemen Civil Defense Authority volcanic crater Damt Dahle province Dhala Governorate Antar Al-Absi Spider-Man of Yemen rescue operation social media
So he just slipped into a volcano crater?? Wild. RIP.
I saw clips like this, like “spider man of yemen” style, and people act like it’s no big deal. If he didn’t have safety gear then yeah… heat and depth is the part nobody thinks about.
Wait, they found his body but couldn’t get him out until the next day? Sounds like they were looking wrong place or the crater swallowed him more than they said. Also “volcanic waters below” like… wouldn’t it be lava? This story is confusing.
This is why I hate those gravity-defying videos. Everybody watching like it’s entertainment and then one bad step and it’s over. They said intense heat and rugged terrain but then they had diving teams so I’m like… how do you even dive in that?? Praying for his family though, seriously.