CAIRO (AP) — 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 meter (393 feet) crater, according to the Civil Defense Authority, which posted a short video capturing the moment of his fall.
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 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.”
This screengrab from video, released by Yemeni Civil Defense Authority, shows rescuers removing the body of daredevil adventurer Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar on Saturday, June 13, 2026, after he had fallen into a volcanic crater in southern Yemen while climbing without safety equipment on Friday. (Yemeni Civil Defense Authority via AP)
This screengrab from video, released by Yemeni Civil Defense Authority, shows rescuers removing the body of daredevil adventurer Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar on Saturday, June 13, 2026, after he had fallen into a volcanic crater in southern Yemen while climbing without safety equipment on Friday. (Yemeni Civil Defense Authority via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Miles Mikolas pitched seven shutout innings in relief of an opener, and the Washington Nationals scored five runs in the fourth inning to pull away from the Seattle Mariners 10-1 on Sunday.
Keibert Ruiz and James Wood homered for Washington.
Seattle has lost four of five and went 4-6 on its road trip that included stops in Detroit and Baltimore.
Mikolas (2-5) retired 20 of the 23 batters he faced to earn his first victory since May 6. He struck out three and allowed three singles.
With the game tied at 1-1, the Nationals opened the fourth with five consecutive hits against Emerson Hancock (5-3). The key hits included Ruiz’s go-ahead single to left, Daylen Lile’s RBI double to right and Nasim Nuñez’s two-run single against a drawn-in infield.
Nuñez moved up to third on Hancock’s errant pickoff attempt and beat first baseman Josh Naylor’s throw home on Jorbit Vivas’ grounder to make it 6-1.
Hancock allowed six runs in four innings while striking out two. It was the first time the right-hander failed to complete five innings in 14 starts this season.
Seattle closer Andrés Muñoz, pitching for the first time since Monday, faced two batters in the eighth before leaving after an athletic trainer came to the mound.
The Mariners took a lead against PJ Poulin when Cole Young led off the game with an infield single and scored when Naylor doubled and center fielder Jacob Young bobbled the carom off the wall.
Wood led off the first with a blast to right, becoming the first Nationals player with consecutive 20-homer seasons since Juan Soto in 2021 and 2022.
Naylor fouled a ball off his right shin before flying out in the sixth and was replaced on defense in the bottom of the inning.
Seattle is off Monday and has not announced pitching plans for Tuesday’s home game against Baltimore.
Washington LHP Andrew Alvarez (1-0, 3.70 ERA) starts Monday as the Nationals’ homestand continues against Kansas City.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Washington Nationals right fielder Dylan Crews makes a leaping catch on a fly ball by Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez for the out during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Seattle Mariners pitcher Emerson Hancock throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' James Wood, right, celebrates his home run with third base coach Victor Estevez (7) during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
