Antara News·Indonesia·Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 05:01 AM

Search operation for journalists widens to 8,509 NM on day 10

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M. Riezko Bima, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Pandeglang, Banten (ANTARA) - On the tenth day of the operation, Thursday, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) expanded the search area to locate missing journalists and crew members of the speedboat Arupadatu I, which lost contact in the Sunda Strait.

Authorities said the search zone grew to 8,509 square nautical miles (NM), up from 3,439 square NM the previous day.

The Head of the Operations Section at Banten SAR Office, Rizky Dwianto, said the expanded sweep area was divided into 10 main sectors to increase the possibility of locating the subjects of the search.

"It has been expanded to 8,509 square NM, with a total of 24 joint vessels deployed across the 10 sectors," Dwianto said here on Thursday.

The deployment of the primary vessel fleet involved four Basarnas SAR vessels (KN SAR Banten, Lampung, Jakarta, and Bengkulu) and three Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs); five Indonesian Navy warships (KRI) and two patrol craft (KAL); one Rigid Buoyant Boat (RBB); eight Water and Air Police (Polairud) vessels; and one Sea and Coast Guard (KPLP) patrol vessel, involving a total of 523 personnel.

The Basarnas operational plan map set the Sector C as the largest search zone spanning 3,380 square NM.

KRI Leuser and KRI Dewa Kembar are conducting searches in the area, extending into the Indian Ocean waters west of Belimbing Island and heading south toward Enggano Island in Bengkulu.

In addition to maritime search, the joint SAR team is coordinating intensively with Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and relevant stakeholders to intensify e-broadcast monitoring for all vessels traversing the Sunda Strait.

Dwianto added the operation relies heavily on the activity levels of Mount Anak Krakatau and weather conditions, which according to analysis by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) are reported to be fluctuating.

Weather forecasts predict cloudy skies, wave heights of 0.5 to 3.5 meters, and wind speeds of 10 to 20 knots.

Meanwhile, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) reports the Mount Anak Krakatau remains at Level III (Alert) status with shallow volcanic seismic activity.

"All areas divided into these 10 sectors fall within the region, where the vessels or the persons on board (POB) we are searching for might have drifted with no single specific point. We hope the weather will be favorable," Dwianto remarked.

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