Prabowo Orders Navy to Sweep Sunda Strait for 5 Missing Journalists, 11 Ships Deployed

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) to optimise the search for five journalists who lost contact in the waters of the Sunda Strait while attempting to report on the activity of Mount Anak Krakatau.

The order was issued by the President after the group, consisting of five journalists and three ship crew members, was reported missing on Monday, 7 September 2026.

The instruction to the Chief of Staff of the Navy (KSAL) was reportedly delivered on Monday night, shortly after the report of the group’s disappearance was received.

The Indonesian Cabinet Secretariat, via its official Instagram account, @sekretariat.kabinet, stated that President Prabowo had requested the Navy to act swiftly from the outset.

“Since the group of five journalists and 3 crew members was reported to have lost contact, President Prabowo had already directly instructed the KSAL to immediately conduct a search on Monday night; on that same day, the Navy immediately dispatched its ships,” the Cabinet Secretariat stated on Thursday, 10 September 2026.

In the search operation, the Navy is working alongside other Search and Rescue (SAR) elements. According to reports from the Chief of Staff of the Navy, 11 joint vessels have been deployed to sweep the waters where the group was last known to be.

The eleven vessels include KRI Leuser-924, KRI Kerambit-627, KRI Lepu-861, KAL Anyer I-3-64, KAL Pohawang I-3-30, RBB Peucang Lanal Banten, RHIB SAR 02 Banten, RHIB SAR 02 Lampung, KN SAR Tetuka-247, KN SAR Basudera-224, and KP Sanjaya-7017.

The Cabinet Secretariat noted that the search is ongoing with the hope that all members of the group will be found soon. “Our prayers are with the safety of the entire group. May they be found safe and sound,” the Secretariat wrote.

According to reports from the Banten SAR Office, the speedboat carrying the group departed from Pagedongan Pier, Carita, on Monday, 7 September 2026, at approximately 14:00 WIB. The speedboat carried eight people, including five journalists, a ship captain, crew members, and a guide.

The group was heading towards the waters surrounding Mount Anak Krakatau to cover the volcano’s activity. The journey initially proceeded with communication being monitored; however, at 14:42 WIB, the group was last known to have sent a location share to a fellow journalist located in Lampung.