Speleologists found snakes but not demons in the abyss of hell

However, still no trace of supernatural beings or flashy smells beyond that of dead birds, explains the head of the team of eight speleologists who embarked on this adventure out of “passion”.

“There were snakes, but they don’t do anything to you if you don’t disturb them,” Mohamed al Kindi, professor of geology at the German University of Technology in Oman, told AFP.

In addition, he added that they believe the project will reveal to them a new wonder and part of Yemen’s history. “We have collected samples of water, rocks, soil and a few dead animals, but they have yet to be analyzed. “, he detailed.

Several senior Yemeni officials told AFP in June that they did not know what was in the hole which they said dates back “millions” of years. According to them, the authorities of this country, very poor and at war, have never explored the bottom of the “well”.

“We entered the well. We reached more than 50-60 meters deep and I felt strange things inside,” said the director general of the local authority in charge of geological studies and mineral resources, Salah Babhair. “It’s very mysterious”, he said.

For centuries, legends have been passed down from generation to generation about the evil spirits known as “jinns” who live in this “hell pit”. Most of the inhabitants avoid approaching the hole and even talking about it, lest it bring them bad luck.

We must not forget that the country is bogged down a civil war since 2014 between the government and the Houthi rebels, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths and millions of people displaced, according to international organizations.

According to the UN, Yemen is going through the world’s worst humanitarian crisis: with 30 million inhabitants on the verge of famine and 80% of the population dependent on international aid.