Families and Residents Hold Continuous Prayers for Journalist SAR Operation

Pandeglang, Banten — As the SAR operation enters its tenth day, families and local residents have been intensively holding joint prayer sessions at the Main SAR Post, Marina Carita Pier, Pandeglang Regency, Banten, on Thursday, praying for the safety of the group of journalists and the crew of the fast boat KM Arupadatu I.

The Head of Sukajadi Village, Carita District, Sandi Wiyaya, stated at the Main SAR Post in Carita, Pandeglang, on Thursday, that this initiative for safety prayers was organised as an expression of care and spiritual effort by local residents alongside the victims’ families.

“This activity is a form of collective concern from the community, hoping that the ship’s passengers can be found soon,” he said.

Sandi expressed deep grief over the tragedy, noting that he is also the owner of the KM Arupadatu I fleet, where two of the eight missing persons are crew members under his employ.

The joint prayer session on Thursday afternoon involved dozens of worshippers from the Majelis Ta’lim and residents from three nearby districts: Carita, Jiput, and Pulosari.

Previously, several family members of the five journalists travelling on the missing vessel held an overnight Istighosah prayer session in the courtyard of an inn within the Marina Carita area.

The prayer session was also attended by representatives from the Banten SAR Office, the Banten Regional Police Water Police (Ditpolairud), the Banten Naval Base (Lanal Banten), and various officers from the Joint SAR Team.

Currently, eight passengers remain missing and are being sought by the joint SAR team, consisting of five journalists—M. Bagus Khoirunnas (ANTARA News Banten Bureau), Ari Basuki (Merdeka.com), Yudhistiro (iNews), Firdaus (Anadolu), and Donal (freelance journalist)—as well as three crew members: Warta (captain), Surakman (crew), and Heriyanto (guide). They were reported missing during a voyage to cover volcanic activity at Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait via Carita, Pandeglang, on Monday (7/9) afternoon.

Alongside the community’s prayer efforts, Basarnas has significantly expanded the search radius on the tenth day, now covering an area of 8,509 nautical miles (NM) square, a significant jump from the previous day’s search area of 3,439 NM square.

Of the ten search sectors, the widest sweep is focused on Sector C, covering 3,380 NM square, monitored by KRI Leuser and KRI Dewa Kembar, extending to the open waters of the Indian Ocean west of Belimbing Bay towards the south of Enggano Island, Bengkulu.