Pandeglang, Banten (ANTARA) – A joint search-and-rescue team focused on waters south of Mount Anak Krakatau on Sunday, the sixth day of efforts to find speedboat Arupadhatu 1, which lost contact in the Sunda Strait.
Rizky Dwianto, head of Basarnas Banten’s Operations and Readiness Sub-section, said eight vessels were deployed to sweep Sector X, covering about 681 square nautical miles.
Dwianto said findings from previous searches had prompted authorities to prioritize Sector X during Sunday’s operation, based on information gathered from earlier missions.
The eight vessels in Sector X were KN SAR Tetuka, RBB Pecang, RIB 02 Basarnas Banten, RIB 02 Basarnas Lampung, KP 2016, KP 2013, KM Garuda and KM Bima.
The total search area on the sixth day covered 6,024 square nautical miles, divided into six sectors, including five maritime search areas and one aerial search area.
A total of 15 vessels and one helicopter were deployed on the sixth day, supported by about 300 personnel from the joint search-and-rescue team, Dwianto said.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported cloudy conditions in the Sunda Strait, with southeast winds blowing at 10 to 20 knots.
Waves ranged from 0.5 to 2.5 meters, while surface currents were moving southwest, according to BMKG data.
Five journalists and three crew members departed Pagedongan Pier in Carita, Pandeglang, Banten, at about 2 p.m. on Sept. 7, heading toward Mount Anak Krakatau to cover volcanic activity.
The five journalists were identified as M. Bagus Khoirunnas, a photojournalist with Antara News Agency; Ari Basuki, a photojournalist from Merdeka.com; Yudistiro Pranoto, a photojournalist with iNews.id; Firdaus Wajidi, a journalist with Anadolu Agency; and Donal Husni, a freelance photojournalist.
The other three people on board were the captain, a crew member, and a guide.
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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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