Bengkulu Community and Media Hold Prayer Service for Five Missing Journalists

The community, the Bengkulu Provincial Government, and local media journalists held a joint prayer service for five journalists and three crew members who went missing while covering the eruption of Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait waters.

“Prayer is a weapon for the faithful because Allah is the most responsive to prayer,” said the Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for Bengkulu Province, Prof KH Zulkarnain Dali, in Bengkulu on Wednesday.

The prayer session was held following congregational Dhuhr prayers at the Baitul Izzah Grand Mosque on Wednesday, 16 September 2026. Members of the public, officials from the Bengkulu Provincial Government, and journalists gathered to offer their best wishes for the five journalists and the crew members.

“May the prayers offered today be answered. This initiative was led by the press in Bengkulu City, alongside the Bengkulu Provincial Communications and Informatics Office (Kominfo) and the local government. We hope the five media personnel and three crew members missing in the Sunda Strait are found soon, regardless of the outcome, and that their families find the strength to endure this trial,” said Zulkarnain.

Anom expressed his gratitude, stating, “I appreciate this prayer service for the five journalists and three crew members who went missing while capturing images of the Anak Krakatau eruption. We are very thankful to all parties involved; one of the five journalists is from Antara.”

He added that one of the missing journalists was a personal acquaintance who was assigned as a photographer for the coverage.

“Another is my acquaintance and friend, Muhammad Bagus Khoirunnas, who served as a photojournalist. I know him personally as a good person. Through this activity, we hope to elevate our prayers to the heavens amidst the ongoing SAR team efforts to find the victims,” he said.

Previously, the Bengkulu Regional Police (Polda) sent DNA samples from an unidentified body found on Enggano Island, North Bengkulu Regency, to the National Police Medical and Health Centre (Pusdokkes Mabes Polri).

“Regarding the DNA matching, the DNA samples from the body found on Enggano Island, North Bengkulu Regency, have been sent to the National Police Medical and Health Centre for comparison,” said the Head of Public Relations for Bengkulu Regional Police, Kombes Pol Imam Wijayanto.

This procedure is being conducted to determine whether the identity of the deceased is linked to the five journalists and three crew members missing while covering the volcanic activity of Mount Anak Krakatau.