September 8, 2026 | 10:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A group of journalists lost contact while reporting the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau. According to the Banten Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas Banten), the group consists of 5 journalists, 2 crew members, and 1 guide.
The head of Basarnas Banten, Al Amrad, said as of late Tuesday, September 8, the group had yet to be found. "There's still nothing, the search operation is ongoing," Amrad told Tempo.
When did the journalists go missing?
The eight-member group traveled on a speedboat, and could not be contacted while in the Sunda Strait.
Basarnas Banten received initial information about the missing group of journalists on Tuesday at 01:55 p.m. Jakarta time. The report was made by a colleague of one of the journalists from the Antara News Agency.
The group initially departed for Mount Anak Krakatau a day before they were reported missing, on Monday, September 7, 2026. They departed around 02:00 p.m. from the Carita Pandeglang Pier, Pandeglang, Banten, to Mount Anak Krakatau with an estimated travel time of two hours.
The contact loss occurred at 02:42 p.m. the same day, where the group was estimated to be between Carita and Mount Anak Krakatau.
Their position was detected around the volcano at 06:13 p.m. Jakarta time.
After receiving the report of the group's disappearance, rescuers sought information at the group's departure point on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 02:15 p.m. The Pandeglang Search and Rescue Unit then deployed a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) to search for the missing journalists and crew members of the boat.
At 05:25 p.m., rescuers deployed the Search and Rescue state vessel (KN SAR) Tetuka 247 in the vicinity of the incident, in partly cloudy weather with a 14-knot wind blowing north from the south.
At 06:15 p.m., the RIB docked at the Carita Marina Pier after sweeping around Rakata Island and Panjang Island within a 3.2-kilometer radius of Mount Anak Krakatau. The search results remain negative.
That afternoon, KN SAR Tetuka was still sailing around the last known position of the missing group. The vessel then anchored to resume the search the following day.
The names of eight people who went missing in the Sunda Strait
According to Basarnas Banten, here is the full list of the missing group in the Sunda Strait while en route to report on Mount Anak Krakatau's activity:
1. Warta (Ship Captain) Male/55 Years
2. Surakman (Crew) Male/60 Years
3. Heriyanto (Guide) Male/49 Years
4. M. Bagus Khoirunnas (Antara Journalist) Male
5. Ari Basuki (Merdeka Journalist) Male
6. Yudhis (Inews Journalist) Male
7. Daus (Anadolu Journalist) Male
8. Donal (Freelance) Male
Read: 5 Journalists Reported Missing While Covering Anak Krakatau Activity
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