INDOPOSCO.ID – The Joint Search and Rescue (SAR) Team has divided the search area for the missing group of journalists into four main sectors and one special sector, covering a total area of approximately 3,243.7 square kilometers. The group has been missing after losing contact in the waters of the Sunda Strait since Monday (Sept. 6, 2026).
Head of the Banten Search and Rescue Office, Al Amrad, said the division was aimed at optimizing efforts to locate the eight people who remain missing in the waters of the Sunda Strait.
“Sector A involves KRI Kerambit, KP Sanjaya, and KAL Pahawang. The search area covers waters west of the Sunda Strait,” Al Amrad said in a statement on Friday (Sept. 11, 2026).
Meanwhile, KRI Leuser and KAL Anyer have been deployed to Sector B to search the waters west of the Sunda Strait outside the coordinates covered by Sector A.
Sector C involves KN SAR Basudewa and RIB Lampung, with the search area covering waters from the western to southwestern parts of the Sunda Strait.
“Sector D involves KP Hayabusa and RBB Pulau Peucang, with the search area located in the southwestern part of the Sunda Strait,” Al Amrad said.
In addition, the special sector covers an area that has become the primary focus of the search operation and involves Banten’s RIB 02 and KN SAR Tetuka 247.
The division into sectors is intended to ensure that the search can be conducted systematically and in a coordinated manner while covering a wider area based on evaluations of previous search efforts.
The eight people who remain missing are Warta, 55, the boat captain; Surakman, 60, a crew member; Heriyanto, 49, a guide; and five journalists: M. Bagus Khoirunnas of Antara, Ari Basuki of Merdeka, Yudhis of iNews, Daus of Anadolu, and Donal, a freelance journalist. The search operation has entered its fourth day. (dan)
