Cabinet Secretary: President Directly Instructs Search for 5 Missing Journalists, 11 Vessels Deployed
The Cabinet Secretary, Teddy Indra Wijaya, stated that President Prabroll Subianto has instructed a search for five journalists who went missing while covering Mount Anak Krakatau. The instruction was issued directly to the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Muhammad Ali, on Monday night (7/9).
“Since the group of five journalists and three ship crew members were reported to have lost contact on Monday night, President Prabowo immediately instructed the Chief of Navy Staff to conduct an urgent search; on that same day, the Navy deployed its vessels,” Teddy said in a post on the Cabinet Secretariat’s Instagram account on Thursday (10/9/2026).
Teddy expressed hope that the search process would soon yield good news and that the entire group would be found safe.
“Our prayers are with the safety of the entire group. May they be found safe and sound,” he said.
Teddy explained that Admiral Muhammad Ali reported that 11 joint vessels are currently conducting the search. The list of vessels includes:
KRI Leuser-924
KRI Kerambit-627
KRI Lepu-861
KAL Anyer 1-3-64
KAL Pohawang 1-3-30
RBB Peucang Lanal Banten
RHIB SAR 02 Banten
RHIB SAR 02 Lampung
KN SAR Tetuka-247
KN SAR Basudewa-224
KP Sanjaya-7017
Search Expanded to Lampung Waters
It is reported that the Lampung Regional Police have expanded the search for the five journalists and three crew members who lost contact while preparing to cover Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait. The search area has been extended to include several waters within the Lampung Regional Police jurisdiction.
“The search area will be expanded to cover several waters within the jurisdiction of the Lampung Regional Police,” said the Head of Public Relations for the Lampung Regional Police, Kombes Pol Yuni Iswandari, as reported by Antara on Thursday (10/9).
She stated that the expansion is being conducted to anticipate the possibility of the victims being carried by currents towards Lampung waters.
“We are anticipating the possibility that the victims may have been carried towards Lampung waters. Hopefully, through these efforts, there will be a breakthrough and information regarding the whereabouts of our colleagues,” she said.
The Lampung Regional Police will continue to assist the search alongside the joint SAR team to ensure a breakthrough in locating the victims.
“We do not know; perhaps there will be information or news that they have been found at sea. We hope our friends there are granted long life and are found quickly,” she added.