Search for Five Journalists Covering Mount Anak Krakatau to Continue Tomorrow
A joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team has commenced operations to find five journalists who lost contact while covering the eruptive activity of Mount Anak Krakatau (GAK) in the Sunda Strait waters on Tuesday (8/9).
The Head of the Banten SAR Office, Al Amrad, stated that as of Tuesday evening at 18:15 WIB, the search teams had reached Krakatau Island and Pulau Panjang with no results found. The search operation is scheduled to continue on Wednesday (9/ Malaysia) morning.
The Banten SAR Office has deployed the KN SAR Tatuka, Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIB) from Banten, and equipment for water rescue, medical aid, and communications, in collaboration with the Banten Regional Police Water and Air Unit (Polairud).
“For tomorrow’s plan, we will expand the search area because today we studied the route from Carita to Mount Anak Krakatau,” Al Amrad told reporters.
The Director of the Banten Regional Police Water and Air Unit, Senior Commissioner Eko Hartanto, confirmed that the search will proceed on Wednesday morning involving Basarnas vessels and other elements. He noted that a Basarnas ship approximately 40 metres in length is being utilised as it is better equipped to support searches in risky maritime conditions.
According to him, the joint team previously searched within an eight-mile radius of Carita Beach. However, limited visibility, high waves, and eruptive activity forced the vessels to return to port. “Visibility was only one mile. There were eruptions and high waves,” he added.
According to reports from the Banten SAR Office, the speedboat carrying the group of journalists departed from Pagedongan Pier, Carita, on Monday (7/9) at 14:00 WIB to cover the activity of Mount Anak Krakatau. The last communication recorded the victims sending their current location to a fellow journalist in Lampung at 14:42 WIB, before losing contact at 15:04 WIB at the coordinates 6°14’40.52”S and 105°40’49.48”E.
Preliminary data from Basarnas indicates that at least seven people are involved in the search, including Antara News photojournalist M Bagus Khoirunnas, Ari Basuki (Merdeka), Yudhis (iNews), Daus (Anadolu), and Donal (freelance), with two others still being processed in the data.
Meanwhile, the Head of Public Relations for the Banten Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Maruli Ahiles Hutapea, stated that the KN SAR Tetuka has also been deployed to find the five media personnel. “The search is supported by the Basarnas ship KN Tetuka, moving from BBJ Bojonegara Pier towards the Carita waters and subsequently to the search location,” said Maruli.
During today’s search, weather conditions near Mount Anak Krakatau proved challenging due to dark skies and heavy volcanic ash. Wind speeds were approximately 16.7 knots, with wave heights ranging from 0.4 to 1 metre, and volcanic ash dispersal reduced visibility to about one mile. “We, along with Basarnas, will continue to maximise our search efforts and provide updates based on field results,” concluded Maruli.