BALINEWSID.COM, PANDEGLANG — A speedboat carrying eight people, including several journalists, has lost contact in the waters of the Sunda Strait off Pandeglang, Banten. The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) deployed a search and rescue team on Tuesday (Sept. 8, 2026).

According to an initial report from the Banten Search and Rescue Office, the speedboat departed from Pagedongan Pier in Carita at around 2 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 7). The group was reportedly heading toward the waters around Anak Krakatau to cover the volcano’s activity.

The last communication with the group was recorded at around 2:42 p.m. One of the journalists, identified as Abay, reportedly shared the group’s last known location with a journalist in Lampung. Communication with the group was subsequently lost at around 3:04 p.m.

As of the release of the initial report, all eight people aboard the speedboat remained unaccounted for.

Several of those aboard have been identified as M. Bagus Khoirunnas, a journalist with Antara; Ari Basuki of Merdeka; Yudhis of iNews; Daus of Anadolu; and Donal, a freelance worker. The identities of two other people are still being verified.

Basarnas Banten received information about the incident at 1:55 p.m. Tuesday from Bayu, an Antara Banten journalist.

The Pandeglang Search and Rescue Unit (USS) Rescue Team subsequently checked Pagedongan Pier. The team confirmed that a speedboat belonging to the head of Carita village had departed on Monday afternoon and had not returned by Tuesday.

The boat’s owner also said he had received no information regarding the whereabouts of the speedboat’s crew and passengers.

At 2:30 p.m., the Pandeglang USS Rescue Team headed toward the suspected location of the incident at approximately 6°14’40.52″S 105°40’49.48″E. The location was estimated to be about 9.98 nautical miles from RIB 02 Banten, with an estimated travel time of around 40 minutes.

The search operation involved six personnel from the Pandeglang USS Rescue Team, personnel from the Pandeglang Water and Air Police Unit (Polairud), and the boat’s owner.

Basarnas deployed a range of equipment, including a rescue vehicle, water search and rescue equipment, RIB 02 Banten, medical equipment, communication equipment and other supporting gear.

Weather conditions at the search area were reported as partly cloudy, with winds blowing from south to north at approximately 16.7 knots. Wave heights were estimated at between 0.4 and 1 meter.

The SAR operation remains underway as authorities continue efforts to locate the missing speedboat and all eight people aboard.