September 17, 2026 | 09:02 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The search and rescue (SAR) operation for a group of journalists and the crew of the speedboat KM Arupadatu I, which lost contact in the waters of the Sunda Strait near Mount Anak Krakatau, has officially ended after 10 days.
Banten Governor Andra Soni announced the end of the joint mission during a press conference at the Joint SAR Main Post at Marina Carita Pier in Pandeglang Regency, Banten, on Thursday evening, September 17.
“It is no longer effective, so with a heavy heart, this joint operation has been terminated,” he said.
Andra explained that across the entire operation, search teams uncovered no trace of the missing passengers or crew in any designated sector.
Search teams failed to locate any targets on the final day, despite deploying 523 joint personnel across land, sea, and air operations covering 8,509 square nautical miles.
Over the course of the mission, the SAR team had spotted 13 floating objects at sea. However, he noted that verification by the Banten Regional Police's Water Police Directorate confirmed none of the items belonged to the KM Arupadatu I.
Nevertheless, the provincial administration and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) emphasized that search and recovery efforts could be reactivated immediately should new leads emerge or public reports be verified.
The governor also extended his gratitude and deep appreciation to all joint SAR units and the media who consistently covered and supported the humanitarian mission.
“Hopefully, we will receive information that we can follow up on, and thank you to our media partners who have continued to assist with this operation over the past 10 days,” he said in closing.
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