Five journalists missing since 7 September after covering erupting Anak Krakatau

Indonesia's joint search and rescue (SAR) operation entered its fourth day on Friday (11 September 2026) as authorities continued looking for five journalists and three boat crew members who went missing in the waters around Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait.

The SAR team deployed 13 vessels for Friday's search, with more than 300 personnel involved in the wider operation, including those stationed at the joint command post in Carita, Pandeglang, Banten.

Al Amrad, head of the Banten Search and Rescue Office, said the search would continue across all designated sectors using information provided by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).

“The additional assets are actually the same assets. They are the same as yesterday,” Amrad said at the joint SAR command post in Carita on Thursday (10 September).

He said the overall figure of more than 300 personnel included those working at the command post.

“All sectors are being searched based on the BMKG data that we have received,” he said.

Weather and visibility monitored

Weather conditions remained an important factor in the operation. Amrad said conditions on Friday were partly cloudy and that the team hoped they would remain stable through the afternoon.

“Because any change can greatly affect visibility,” he said.

The SAR team was also continuing to assess whether helicopters could be used for the search. Amrad said an aerial search had been attempted on Thursday but had not produced any signs of the missing group.

The helicopter searched towards the Carita coastal area at altitudes ranging from below 15,000 feet to 25,000 feet.

Amrad said the decision on further helicopter operations would depend on weather conditions around Anak Krakatau.

BMKG acting director of public meteorology Ida Pramudawardani said weather conditions had been favourable when the group was last known to be in contact on Monday (7 September).

From 2pm to 6pm that day, the weather was partly cloudy, with maximum wind speeds of about 15 knots, or 7.5 metres per second. No rain was detected during that period, Ida said at the parliamentary complex on Thursday.

Sea waves were also recorded at a maximum height of about one metre at the time.

However, Ida said volcanic ash around Anak Krakatau remained a concern. Satellite imagery showed ash reaching an altitude of about 50,000 feet, or 15,000 metres, on Monday.

Life jacket found west of Anyer

During the third day of the search on Thursday, Indonesian Navy personnel found a life jacket in waters west of Anyer. A white cylindrical bottle-like object was also recovered.

The life jacket was found by KAL Anyer I-3-64, operated by the Banten Naval Base, in waters west of Cikoneng-Labuan.

It was located about 7.05 nautical miles offshore, while the distance between the discovery site and the group's last known position was estimated at 10 to 12 nautical miles.

Authorities have not established whether the life jacket belonged to any of the missing people.

Wawan Subagyo Mardani, commander of the Banten Naval Base, said all recovered objects would first undergo identification.

He said the white cylindrical object appeared to be commonly used by fishermen and could not yet be linked to the missing group.

The owner of the Arupadhatu 1 vessel, Sandi Wiyasa, also said the life jacket did not appear to belong to his vessel. According to photos obtained by detikcom, the recovered life jacket was orange, while life jackets aboard Arupadhatu 1 were red and bright green.

Wiyasa said he had checked with the vessel's second captain, who confirmed that the recovered life jacket was not from Arupadhatu 1.

Search area expanded

The search area has been expanded according to estimated movements of currents, waves and wind.

On Thursday, the southern side of the search area had been swept to a radius of about 20 nautical miles from Mount Anak Krakatau. The operation was subsequently extended towards the north.

The SAR team has also considered searching closer to Anak Krakatau, although authorities said personnel would only enter areas where conditions were considered safe because volcanic activity was continuing.

The operation has involved coordination between Basarnas, the Indonesian Navy and other agencies, as well as the PVMBG and BMKG.

A Dauphin AS365 N3+ helicopter, registration HR-3604, was deployed on Thursday to support aerial monitoring of the Sunda Strait and the area surrounding Anak Krakatau. Drones were also placed aboard vessels to provide additional visual coverage.

Basarnas chief Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii said the aerial search had not detected the missing people or signs of them on nearby islands.

Coastal communities join operation

Local coastal residents have also joined the search.

Irvan Kipong, a coordinator for coastal residents, said the Ujung Kulon Adventure crew had used local boats to search waters around Panaitan Island, which lies near the Sunda Strait.

The community search was intended to extend the area covered by official SAR teams.

Authorities said the search would continue.

The eight missing people are M Bagus Khoirunnas of ANTARA, Ari Basuki of Merdeka, Yudhis of iNews, Daus of Anadolu and freelance journalist Donal, along with boat captain Warta, 55, crew member Surakman, 60, and guide Heriyanto, 49.

The group departed from Pagedongan Pier in Carita, Pandeglang, Banten, aboard a speedboat to cover Mount Anak Krakatau, which had been erupting since the previous weekend.

They lost contact at about 2pm local time on Monday (7 September).

Basarnas said the operation would continue in accordance with established procedures. Syafii said an evaluation involving SAR agencies, PVMBG, BMKG and medical teams would be held on the seventh day to discuss the continuation of the operation.