Banten, SEAJori – Search and rescue operations are underway in the Sunda Strait after a speedboat carrying eight people, including five Indonesian journalists went missing during an assignment to cover the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.
The missing media personnel have been identified as Muhammad Bagus Khoirunas (Antara News Agency), Arie Basuki (Merdeka), Yudis (iNews), Daus (Anadolu Agency), and Donal, a freelance journalist.
The group departed from Pagedongan Pier in Carita, Anyer, Pandeglang Regency, on Monday, September 7, 2026, at approximately 2:00 PM local time. Communication was lost shortly after a team member transmitted their live location at 2:42 PM. The official Banten Search and Rescue (SAR) Agency reported on Tuesday, September 8, at 1:55 PM after the vessel failed to return.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) confirmed that eight passengers were aboard are seven media crew members and one person whose identity remains under verification.
The vessel’s last known coordinates were recorded in the Sunda Strait at 6°14’40.52”S 105°40’49.48”E, roughly 9.98 nautical miles from the deployment point of the response team’s RIB 02 craft.
Six rescuers from the Pandeglang USS Rescue Team, working alongside Pandeglang Marine Police (Polairud) and the vessel’s owner, are conducting the search. Current weather conditions in the search zone show partly cloudy skies, southerly winds up to 16.7 knots, and wave heights between 0.4 and 1 meter.
Basarnas clarified that social media rumors claiming the journalists were found safe on a neighboring island are false. Search operations remain active.
Mount Anak Krakatau has seen significant eruptive activity over the past week, previously causing temporary flight disruptions across Jakarta, Bandung, and Lampung. (*)
