September 17, 2026 | 03:51 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team has expanded the search area for a speedboat carrying a group of journalists and crew members who lost contact in the Sunda Strait, Banten. On the tenth day of operations, or three days into the extension period on Thursday, September 17, 2026, the operational coverage expanded to 8,509 square nautical miles.
Head of the Operations and Alert Subsection at the Banten National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Rizky Dwianto, said 523 personnel were deployed in Thursday's operation, with the search zone divided into 10 sectors.
"There is no specific point, but [the search encompasses] the entire area where the boat could potentially have drifted," Rizky said on Thursday.
A fleet of 24 units was deployed, including eight units from the Indonesian Navy, eight police fleet units, seven primary Basarnas equipment units, and one unit from the Ministry of Transportation.
The 10 search sectors cover the waters off western Sumatra and Enggano Island (Sectors A and B), the Indian Ocean (Sector C), northwest of Panaitan Island (Sector D), Semangka Bay and Tabuan Island (Sectors E and F), the waters extending from Mount Anak Krakatau to Sebesi Island (Sectors G and H), and the Anyer-Carita coastline alongside Merak waters (Sectors I and J).
Alongside maritime operations, Banten Basarnas maintained sweeps across inland areas. "Inland sweeps are still being conducted from Carita to Anggur Beach," Rizky said.
For aerial monitoring, an HR 3604 K helicopter from the SAR Air Unit remains on standby at Atang Sendjaja Air Force Base in Bogor. The air unit is prepared to fly as weather conditions and visibility allow.
Data from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency indicates cloudy weather conditions across the search area, with winds between 10 and 20 knots and wave heights ranging from 0.5 to 3.5 meters.
Meanwhile, status reports from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation place Mount Anak Krakatau at Level III (Alert) with no active eruption, though seismic monitoring records ongoing shallow volcanic activity.
To accelerate search efforts, the SAR team utilized an electronic broadcast system and coordinated with Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) to transmit alerts to vessels navigating the Sunda Strait.
"As for e-broadcast updates, no sightings have been reported through day 10. However, we always coordinate with VTS every day so they can continue relaying information to ships crossing near the Sunda Strait," Rizky said.
Rizky added that field teams investigated several reports submitted by members of the public, though all yielded negative results.
The Arupadatu I speedboat, carrying the journalists, was reported missing on Monday, September 7, 2026, after setting sail to report on the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.
Eight people on board remain missing. They are boat captain Warta, crew member Surakman, guide Heriyanto, and five journalists: M. Bagus Khoerunnas (Antara), Arie Basuki (Merdeka), Yudhistiro Pranoto (iNews), Firdaus Wajidi (Anadolu), and freelance journalist Donal Husni.
Read: Search for Missing Journalists and Boat Crew Enters 10th Day in Banten
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