Two hikers from Sidoarjo reported missing on Mount Semeru

Lumajang, East Java (ANTARA) – Two hikers from Sidoarjo have been reported missing while climbing Mount Semeru in Lumajang Regency. Their disappearance was reported to the Banyuwangi Search and Rescue (SAR) Office on Saturday afternoon.

“We received a report of a situation endangering human life involving two hikers reported missing in the Mount Semeru area, in Ranu Pani sub-district, Lumajang Regency,” Banyuwangi SAR Office chief I Made Oka Astawa said in a written statement received in Lumajang.

He said the report came from the head of the Ranu Pani Resort Management Unit of the national park on Saturday at 2.37pm Western Indonesia Time. The Banyuwangi SAR Office immediately deployed a team to begin search and rescue operations.

“Based on the information we received, the two hikers are identified by the initials BK and MWF, both aged 19. Initial information indicates that they planned to climb Mount Semeru on 31 October 2026,” he said.

Relevant parties had sought information about the pair’s whereabouts. On 4 November 2026, it was discovered that they had hired a motorbike at Lumajang Terminal to travel to the Ranu Pani area, he said.

The vehicle’s rental company and Ranu Pani national park staff began searching on 5 November. At 1pm on 6 November 2026, they found the hired motorbike in a resident’s field near the Mount Semeru climbing area.

“That discovery is one of the clues in the search for the two hikers. We immediately deployed personnel, and the Jember SAR Post rescue team set off for the location, with an estimated journey time of about three hours and 26 minutes,” he said.

The operation involved four members of the Jember SAR Post rescue team and five from the Banyuwangi SAR Office, as well as personnel from the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS), Surabaya Police, the Lumajang Regency Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and local residents.

“The search will be carried out to the fullest, with coordination and cooperation among all the joint SAR teams as a priority. At the time of this initial report, the two hikers were still being searched for,” he said.

Lumajang BPBD chief executive Isnugroho said his agency was awaiting official information from TNBTS about the missing hikers.

“The hikers’ families have filed a missing-person report in Sidoarjo. The National Search and Rescue Agency team has also headed to Ranu Pani, and the TNBTS team is reportedly preparing a search team, so the Lumajang BPBD is ready to assist with the search,” he said.