Overview
- Qaqaa Antar al Absi fell during a rope-free climb he was filming for social media and rescuers recovered his body nearly 24 hours later, the Houthi-run Civil Defense said.
- Rescue teams reported exceptionally difficult conditions because the crater’s walls are steep and the ground and waters are heated by geothermal activity.
- Al Absi had built a following of roughly 200,000 and relied on tips from tourists for income, a reliance that local accounts say pushed him to attempt ever-riskier stunts.
- Video of the fall circulated widely online and sparked public calls for physical barriers, warning signs, and regulated access to the Damt site.
- The Damt crater sits in Al Dhalea province, is about 100 meters deep, contains sulfur-rich hot mineral waters, and remains dangerous despite being classed as an extinct volcanic formation.