Indonesian search teams are looking for eight people who disappeared while traveling by speedboat to report on eruptions at Anak Krakatau. The group included five photojournalists, two crew members and a route guide. They left Carita in Banten province for the volcanic island in the Sunda Strait.
Relatives received the last message at 6:13 p.m. Monday, when the group said it had reached waters around the volcano. Their last known position was about 18.5 kilometers offshore. Rescuers deployed Tuesday but had not reestablished contact or determined the boat’s location by Wednesday morning.
The journalists worked for Indonesia’s Antara, Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, Merdeka and iNews, with one freelance photographer also aboard. The initial eruption ended Sunday, but the volcano continued to produce intermittent explosions, lava, ash and incandescent material. Search crews therefore face both maritime uncertainty and an active exclusion area.
The eruption closed airports Sunday and Monday, disrupting nearly 2,961 flights, including 622 international services, and affecting about 341,000 passengers. Schools in ash-affected communities were allowed to move temporarily online. Authorities have maintained the volcano at the second-highest alert level and advise people to remain at least three kilometers from the crater.
Anak Krakatau grew from the remains of the volcano destroyed in the 1883 Krakatau eruption. A flank collapse in 2018 produced a tsunami that killed at least 430 people on Sumatra and Java. That history provides hazard context but does not indicate what happened to the missing boat. Search findings, weather records and any recovered communications are needed.
The checked record for Eight Missing Near Anak Krakatau as Eruptions Continue establishes the following dated facts: Eight people are missing from the speedboat. The group included five photojournalists, two crew members and a guide. The last message was received at 6:13 p.m. Monday. The last known location was about 18.5 kilometers offshore. Intermittent volcanic activity continued after the initial eruption ended. The relevant background is also specific: The eruption disrupted nearly 2,961 flights and about 341,000 passengers. Anak Krakatau is at the second-highest alert level. A 2018 eruption-related tsunami killed at least 430 people. Searchers had not located the vessel or established why contact was lost. The cited reporting does not resolve questions beyond those stated limits.