PANDEGLANG, thekabarnews.com—Indonesian rescuers expanded their search for five journalists and three other people missing in the Sunda Strait after mobile phone data placed one passenger’s last recorded communication near Sebesi Island.

The information emerged during the fifth day of the search on Saturday, September 12. Authorities stressed that the record did not represent a newly detected live signal or confirm the passenger’s current location.

Banten Search and Rescue Office head Al Amrad said investigators examined data associated with seven mobile phones belonging to members of the missing group.

“Yes, based on the mobile phone signal data from seven passengers, one number was briefly detected in the waters around Sebesi Island,” Al Amrad said in an operational update.

Deputy Communication and Digital Minister Nezar Patria said the last communication trace is dated to September 7. The ministry obtained the information through coordination with three mobile network operators before forwarding it to the joint search team.

Rescuers have examined the indicated area since the operation’s second day.

“We have checked that location from the second day of the search until today,” Al Amrad said.

KN SAR Tetuka also recovered four floating objects during a roughly 10-hour search south of Anak Krakatau on Saturday.

The crew found a blue container at 10:05 a.m., followed by a red plastic helmet at 12:33 p.m. Rescuers later recovered two orange life jackets at 5:10 p.m. and 6:09 p.m.

“KN SAR Tetuka found a blue oil container, a helmet and two life jackets,” Al Amrad said.

He added that authorities would examine the objects before deciding whether they had any connection to the missing speedboat.

The items initially became part of the search evaluation but did not constitute proof of the vessel’s location.

On Sunday, Banten Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Maruli Ahiles Hutapea said an examination and confirmation from the boat’s owner indicated that the objects did not belong to KM Arupadhatu 1.

The two orange life jackets carried markings that differed from the safety equipment aboard the boat.

The blue container also differed in size and appearance from the vessel’s fuel container, while the missing speedboat did not carry the type of red helmet recovered by rescuers.

The joint team also used SAR map calculations to estimate the movement of floating material from the presumed incident area. Wind and sea-current modelling indicated that objects could drift toward the waters off Bengkulu.

“We have coordinated and mapped an observation area extending as far as Bengkulu,” Al Amrad said.

Fourteen vessels and one helicopter searched seven sectors on Saturday. Despite the expanded operation, rescuers had not located any of the eight missing people by the end of the fifth day.

The group left Pagedongan Pier in Carita on September 7 to report on conditions around Anak Krakatau. It comprised five journalists, boat captain Warta, crew member Surakman and guide Heriyanto.

Search teams continue to assess phone records, drift projections and verified field findings.

Authorities have urged the public to rely on official updates because neither unconfirmed objects nor historical mobile phone data establish the group’s present location.