Tenth Day Search Continues for Missing Journalists and Speedboat Crew off Banten
A joint search team entered its tenth day of operations along the Carita-Anyer coast, looking for five journalists and three boat crew members lost after covering the Anak Krakatau eruption.
On the tenth day of the operation, a combined SAR unit swept the shoreline from Carita to Anyer Beach in Pandeglang Regency, Banten, following up on leads about five missing journalists and three crew members from the speedboat KM Arupadatu I. Rizky Dwianto, head of the Banten SAR Operations Section, said the land search runs alongside field checks of public reports, which have so far produced no confirmed findings. The search area is divided into ten sectors that correspond to the probable drift route of the vessel and its eight passengers.
Naval ships KRI Leuser and KRI Dewa Kembar are tasked with the largest maritime sector, while a Basarnas HR-3601 helicopter is ready at Atang Sendjaja Air Force Base for rapid deployment. Continuous e-broadcast alerts are being issued to vessels transiting the Sunda Strait, but no fresh information has been reported. Authorities stress that all communication channels remain fully engaged until every possible clue is examined.
Why it matters
The ongoing search highlights the risks journalists face covering natural disasters and the challenges of maritime rescue in the Sunda Strait.
How this story developed
- Sep 12 Indonesian ferry Virgo Transport 8 disappears en route from Surabaya to Banjarmasin
- Sep 13 Rescue teams have been dispatched to the last reported position.
- Sep 14 Capsizing confirmed with six fatalities and roughly 140 people still missing.
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