SAR Team Sweeps Islands Around Mount Anak Krakatau in Search for Missing Journalists

A joint search and rescue (SAR) team has been sweeping several islands around Mount Anak Krakatau in search of a group of journalists who lost contact on Monday 7 September.

Five journalists and three crew members went missing while covering the activity of Mount Anak Krakatau, which erupted some time ago.

“We have carried out land sweeps across the entire area of Sertung Island with no results so far. We have also conducted land sweeps of Rakata Island and Panjang Island,” said Risky Dwi, Head of Operations at the Banten National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), on Tuesday (15/9).

Riski said the team had yet to deploy divers because of the sheer size of the search area, and because no potential point had been identified where the vessel Arupadhatu 1 might have sunk.

“Diving operations are constrained because our search area is extremely wide and we do not know the vessel’s last known position,” he said.

The joint SAR team has narrowed the search area in the Sunda Strait, guided by the discovery of life jackets and other materials, although upon examination these were found to be unrelated to the Arupadhatu 1, which was carrying the eight missing people.

“We are focusing on the points where items were found in Sector X yesterday, and sweeping them again,” he said.

The group of photojournalists, who had been on their way to cover the activity of Mount Anak Krakatau, lost contact in the waters of the Sunda Strait on Monday 7 September.

The joint SAR team has deployed forces to search for the five journalists and three crew members at several points, but the effort has yet to bear fruit.