Prabowo Orders Maximization of Search for Missing Persons - 5 Journalists, Ferry Accident Victims

President Prabowo Subianto led a virtual meeting with several ministers and heads of institutions to monitor the progress of disaster response. Prabowo paid special attention to the search for five journalists who went missing while covering Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait. The meeting was held at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday (16/9/2026). An official Instagram post from the Cabinet Secretariat showed the attendance of ministers from the Red and White Cabinet, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), and the Geological Agency. Prabowo emphasized several points to his subordinates, including maximizing the search for victims of KMP Virgo Transport 8 and the eight people missing in the Sunda Strait. He instructed the Ministry of Transportation to coordinate further steps with Basarnas, while ensuring that the rights of the victims' families are fully met. Prabowo also requested a thorough and objective investigation into the incident, involving elements of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). The joint SAR team has been conducting search operations for the five journalists and three ship crew members who went missing around Mount Anak Krakatau. On the ninth day of the search, the SAR team has not yet found the whereabouts of the eight individuals in the Sunda Strait or Bengkulu. On this day, 22 ships were deployed to search an area of 3,439 square nautical miles (NM) divided into 8 sectors, on Wednesday (16/9). Additionally, the SAR team is coordinating with the Basarnas Bengkulu Office for the search process. "Today, we are also involving our colleagues from the Basarnas Bengkulu Office to conduct sweeps on Enggano Island and the coastal areas in Bengkulu, which also yielded no results," said the Head of the Banten Basarnas Office, Al Amrad.