SAR expands search for seven missing near Anak Krakatau

indonesianupdates.com_admin

2 hours ago

Pandeglang, Banten (ANTARA) –

A joint search and rescue (SAR) team resumed its search on Wednesday for a speedboat carrying a group of people, including journalists, who lost contact while covering Mount Anak Krakatau’s eruption in the Sunda Strait, with the search area expanded to approximately 271 nautical miles.

Head of the Operations Section of the Banten Search and Rescue Office, Riski Dwiyanto, said the joint team comprising the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), police, and military personnel had been deployed at full strength for the second day of the operation.

“We are expanding the search area because the SAR mapping results point to an area southwest of Mount Anak Krakatau. The total search area is approximately 271 nautical miles,” he said.

Dwiyanto explained that the team would expand the search based on digital data analysis. Six vessels, divided into five Search and Rescue Units (SRUs), each with a specific strategic role, were deployed in the operation.

“First, we are using the KN SAR Tual K, with a search area of 68.3 nautical miles. Then, the KAL Anyer vessel belonging to the Banten Naval Base, with a search area of 69.5 nautical miles,” he said.

The agency is also deploying Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIB) 01 and 03 from Lampung to search an area of 67 nautical miles, while RIB 02 Banten is conducting a close search along Rakata Island and Panjang Island to anticipate the possibility of victims or parts of the boat being stranded on the islands.

“We are also supported by the KP Sanjay patrol boat belonging to the Water Police Directorate of the Banten Regional Police, with a search area of 67.3 nautical miles,” Dwiyanto said.

He confirmed that weather conditions at the search site remained favorable, allowing the operation to proceed without disruption.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), weather conditions were expected to be sunny to cloudy, with winds blowing from south to north at 14 knots and waves ranging from 0.4 to 1 meter in height.

“These conditions are still considered safe and very effective for conducting sea searches,” Dwiyanto said.

Meanwhile, the search post continued to receive visits from the victims’ families. Basarnas has been closely coordinating with the families and providing regular updates on the ongoing SAR operation.

According to a report from the Banten Search and Rescue Office, the speedboat carrying the group departed from Pagedongan Pier in Carita on Monday (September 7) at 2 p.m. local time to cover Mount Anak Krakatau’s activity.

The last recorded communication showed that one of the people on board shared their location with fellow journalists in Lampung at 2:42 p.m., before contact was lost at 3:04 p.m. at the suspected coordinates of 6°14’40.52″S, 105°40’49.48″E.

The speedboat was carrying seven people, including M Bagus Khoirunnas, a photojournalist with ANTARA News Agency; Ari Basuki of Merdeka; Yudhis of iNews; Daus of Anadolu; Donal, a freelance journalist; and two others who are still being identified.