Antara News·Indonesia·Friday, September 11, 2026 at 06:05 AM

SAR team expands search area for missing journalists in Sunda Strait

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Lintang Budiyanti P, Nabil Ihsan

Pandeglang, Banten (ANTARA) - As the search for five journalists missing in the Sunda Strait amid the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption entered its fourth day, Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) expanded the operation to new areas.

“For today, we are deploying 13 ships to conduct search operations across four different sectors,” Head of the Banten SAR Office Al Amrad told reporters at a SAR base here on Friday.

KRI Kerambit, KP Sanjaya, and KAL Pahawang were deployed to Sector A, which covers a total search area of 1,026 nautical miles.

“It is a high-seas area located in the Cape Belimbing area of Lampung,” he added.

For Sector B, covering a total area of 1,020 nautical miles along the western coast of Lampung, Basarnas deployed KRI Leuser and KAL Anyer, he said.

The search in Sector C, which covers 585 nautical miles, is being conducted by KN SAR Basudewa and a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) from Lampung.

“The location is north of Cape Belimbing. KN SAR Basudewa is conducting the search in the center of the area, while the RIB will search the coastal waters of Cape Belimbing,” Amrad said.

KAL Hayabusa was deployed to Sector D, which covers a total area of 585 nautical miles. The search area extends from the northern end of Sector C to Cape Panaitan.

The SAR team will also conduct another search of islands around Mount Anak Krakatau, including Sebesi Island.

“We will conduct thorough monitoring around Krakatau, Panjang, and Sertung islands. An RIB from Lampung, namely RIB 02, will patrol the waters around Sebesi Island,” he added.

The five missing journalists are Bagas Khoirunnas of ANTARA News Agency, Ari Basuki of Merdeka, Yudistiro Pranoto of iNews, Firdaus Wajidi of Türkiye’s Anadolu Agency, and freelance photojournalist Donal Husni. They were accompanied by three crew members while traveling to cover the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption.

On Thursday (September 10), the joint SAR team recovered a life jacket and a plastic container off the coast of Anyer, Banten. However, authorities cautioned that the items have not been linked to the missing vessel.

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