'Spider-Man of Yemen' dies falling into volcanic crater

A daredevil social media free-climber nicknamed the "Spider-Man of Yemen" has died after falling into a volcanic crater in the country's south-west.

Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar had been attempting to climb its steep rock faces on Friday without safety equipment when he fell in, according to local authorities.

The 30-year-old had a large following on social media and was well known for performing daring acrobatic stunts in online videos.

The Hardah Dam volcanic crater is one of the country's most famous natural landmarks.

Video footage appearing to show the moment of the fall has been widely circulating online.

It shows Antar climbing the near-vertical wall of the crater before appearing to lose his grip and fall.

Yemen's Civil Defence Authority praised the "heroic efforts" of its water rescue team for successfully recovering Antar's body "from the bottom of the crater" in a statement issued on Sunday.

It described the operation over the weekend as "highly dangerous", and "one of the most difficult and complex field rescue missions".

It said the team had been promoted after demonstrating "exceptional field capabilities amid rugged terrain, harsh environmental conditions and high temperatures inside the volcanic crater".

It produced footage showing rescuers scaling down the side of the crater using climbing equipment, before winching a cage down to recover the climber's body.

His body was found by divers inside the 120m-wide crater at a depth of 30m (98ft) below the water surface, according to the Associated Press.

The Hardah Dam in Dhale province has become somewhat of a tourist attraction in recent years, with a hot sulfur lake sitting at its base.