Five Journalists Still Missing as Search Near Anak Krakatau Enters Second Day

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Five journalists and three boat crew members remain missing after losing contact while covering the activity of Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait, with a joint search and rescue operation expanding on the second day of search on Wednesday, September 9.

The group had traveled by speedboat to the volcano from Pagedongan Pier in Pandeglang Regency, Banten, on Monday afternoon. Despite an expanded search involving hundreds of personnel, naval warships and other assets, authorities had found no sign of the vessel or the eight people aboard as of Wednesday afternoon.

The five journalists are M. Bagus Khoirunnas of Antara News Agency, Ari Basuki of Merdeka.com, Yudhis of iNews, Daus of Anadolu Agency and freelance journalist Donal Husni. The three others are the boat captain, Warta, 55; crew member Surakman, 60; and guide Heriyanto, 49.

According to BBC News, the group departed at around 2 p.m. local time on Monday aboard the speedboat Arupadhatu 1. The estimated journey from the pier to Mount Anak Krakatau was about two hours.

Before departure, Bagus sent a photograph of himself and his four colleagues aboard the boat to his wife. At 2:42 p.m., he contacted Abay, a journalist with the Antara Lampung Bureau who was on Sebesi Island, and shared his location.

However, Abay lost contact with Bagus at around 3:04 p.m. Later that evening, at 6:13 p.m., Heriyanto sent a photograph showing the group near Mount Anak Krakatau. No further communication was received from the boat after that.

The disappearance was reported to Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency, on Tuesday afternoon by Bayu Kuncahyo, head of the Antara Banten Bureau, after the agency was informed that its reporter had lost contact.

Search Expands Across Sunda Strait

A joint search operation was launched after the report, with teams initially sweeping waters around the location where the group was last known to be.

By Wednesday, the search area had been expanded to waters around Sebesi Island, Sebuku Island, the Krakatau area, Rakata Island and Panjang Island. Search teams were using rigid inflatable boats and other vessels to cover the designated sectors.

Detik.com reported that 250 joint personnel were involved in Wednesday's operation, which began at 7 a.m. and divided the search area into five zones.

The Indonesian Navy also deployed three warships — KRI Leuser-924, KRI Kerambit-627 and KRI Lepu-861 — to reinforce the operation and widen the search across the Sunda Strait. Navy patrol boats from the Lampung and Banten naval bases were also deployed.

The Banten Regional Police previously said the initial search involved 23 personnel from the National Police Headquarters, Banten Regional Police and Basarnas Banten, supported by the Basarnas vessel KN Tetuka.

The first day's search continued until 10:12 p.m. Tuesday but produced no signs of the missing boat or its passengers.

No Distress Signal Detected

One of the biggest challenges facing rescuers is the absence of any distress or mobile phone signal from the missing group.

Zulkarnain Siagian, head of the General Affairs Sub-division at Basarnas Lampung, said the vessel's location could not be determined because no distress signal had been transmitted when contact was lost.

"There was no distress signal. That is why we have been unable to detect the vessel's location," Zulkarnain said, according to BBC News.

He added that rescuers had also been unable to track the group's location through mobile phones. As a result, teams have had to rely on direct sweeps of the search area.

Weather and sea conditions have further complicated the operation. Banten Regional Police Chief Inspector General Hengki said strong winds and waves reaching one to two meters were affecting the search.

"The team remains in the field, and we are continuing to monitor the situation," Hengki said on Wednesday, as reported by Detik.com.

He urged members of the public and fishermen to immediately notify authorities if they spot suspicious objects or floating items in the waters, saying such reports could help rescuers quickly check possible clues.

Volcanic Ash Limits Aerial Search

The search is also taking place as Mount Anak Krakatau continues to emit thick volcanic ash.

Al Amrad, head of the Banten Search and Rescue Office, said the team was continuing to expand the search and use all available resources while prioritizing the safety of rescuers.

"Even though significant amounts of volcanic dust were visible, we continued to prioritize the safety of all personnel," Al Amrad said, according to BBC News.

Authorities have prepared two thermal drones to support the search. However, aerial operations using helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft have not yet been considered feasible because volcanic ash remains in the area.

Al Amrad said the search would continue despite the lack of results so far.

"So far, the search results remain nil. We are not stopping our search efforts," he said. "We will continue to evaluate developments on the ground to determine our next strategy."

As the operation enters its third day on Thursday, rescuers are continuing to sweep the waters around Mount Anak Krakatau and the wider Sunda Strait in an effort to locate the missing journalists and three members of the boat's crew.

Read: Banten Police Set Up Antemortem Post for Missing Journalists

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