President Prabowo Orders Search for Missing Journalists, Deploys 11 Vessels

President Prabowo Subianto has expressed particular concern regarding the whereabouts of five journalists and three ship crew members, a total of eight individuals, who lost contact in the Sunda Strait (Pandeglang, Banten) on Monday, September 7, 2026, while covering the activity of Mount Anak Krakatau. On the same day the incident was reported, the President instructed the Chief of Naval Staff (KSAL) to immediately commence search operations. According to Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, "Since the report of the loss of contact from the group of five journalists and three ship crew members, President Prabowo had already directly instructed KSAL to conduct a search since Monday evening." Teddy explained that the Indonesian Navy immediately dispatched its ships to search for the group, deploying a total of 11 joint vessels for the search operation. The vessels involved in the search include KRI Leuser-924, KRI Kerambit-627, KRI Lepu-861, KAL Anyer 1-3-64, KAL Pohawang 1-3-30, RBB Peucang Lanal Banten, RHIB SAR 02 Banten, RHIB SAR 02 Lampung, KN SAR Tetuka-247, KN SAR Basudewa-224, and KP Sanjaya-7017. The search operations are still ongoing. Teddy conveyed his prayers for the safe discovery of all the journalists and crew members. "Our prayers are for the safety of the entire group. We hope they are found safe soon," he stated.