Search Continues for Eight People Missing Near Anak Krakatau
Kabarsaji.com – Search teams are continuing efforts in the Sunda Strait after a reporting trip to Mount Anak Krakatau ended with eight people losing contact while traveling by speedboat. The group included five journalists, two boat personnel, and a guide who were heading to cover activity at the volcano.
By late Tuesday, September 8, 2026, no trace of the group had been found. Al Amrad, head of the Banten Search and Rescue Office, said the operation remained underway.
“There’s still nothing, the search operation is ongoing,” Amrad said.
Contact Lost During Journey to the Volcano
The group left Carita Pandeglang Pier in Pandeglang, Banten, at about 2 p.m. on Monday, September 7, 2026. Their destination was Mount Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island located in the Sunda Strait. The crossing was expected to take roughly two hours.
Communication with the speedboat was lost at 2:42 p.m., when it was believed to be traveling between Carita and Anak Krakatau. A position signal was later detected near the volcano at 6:13 p.m. Jakarta time.
Initial notification of the missing party reached the Banten rescue office at 1:55 p.m. on Tuesday. A fellow journalist from the Antara News Agency submitted the report after the group could no longer be contacted.
The incident has drawn attention to the risks faced by people working at sea near active volcanic areas. The waters surrounding Anak Krakatau are part of a busy but challenging maritime zone, where weather, distance, changing conditions, and limited communications can complicate travel and emergency response.
Rescue Teams Deploy Boats and Search Vessels
Rescuers first gathered information at the group’s departure location at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The Pandeglang Search and Rescue Unit then sent a rigid inflatable boat, or RIB, to look for the missing passengers and their vessel.
At 5:25 p.m., the larger rescue ship KN SAR Tetuka 247 was deployed to the area around the incident. Conditions were partly cloudy, with a 14-knot wind coming from the south toward the north.
The RIB completed a sweep near Rakata Island and Panjang Island, covering an area within 3.2 kilometers of Mount Anak Krakatau. It returned to Carita Marina Pier at 6:15 p.m. without finding the speedboat or its passengers.
KN SAR Tetuka continued operating around the group’s last known location later that day. The vessel eventually anchored, with the search set to continue the following day.
Who Was on the Missing Speedboat?
The eight people missing while traveling through the Sunda Strait were identified as follows:
Warta, 55, was the ship captain. Surakman, 60, served as a crew member, while Heriyanto, 49, was the group’s guide.
The journalists on board were M. Bagus Khoirunnas of Antara, Ari Basuki of Merdeka, Yudhis of iNews, and Daus of Anadolu. Donal, a freelance journalist, was also part of the trip.
The remaining crew member was included in the eight-person group traveling on the speedboat from Carita toward Anak Krakatau.
Anak Krakatau’s Remote Setting Adds to the Challenge
Mount Anak Krakatau lies offshore in the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra. Its location means visits generally require boat travel, often departing from coastal points in Banten. For reporters covering volcanic developments, the journey can be essential to obtain firsthand images and information, but it also places crews far from shore.
Search operations in open water typically depend on the last available contact point, the route taken, sea conditions, and information from nearby vessels or coastal communities. A detected position near the volcano may help focus the effort, although a boat’s location can change quickly in strong currents or wind.
Families, colleagues, and the wider journalism community are awaiting further information as rescue personnel continue to comb the waters near Anak Krakatau. The immediate priority remains locating the missing boat and everyone aboard it.
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