PANDEGLANG, thekabarnews.com—Indonesian search teams expanded an operation across the Sunda Strait on Thursday, September 10, after a speedboat carrying five journalists and three other people lost contact during a reporting trip near the active Anak Krakatau volcano.

The eight people remained missing as the search entered its third day on Thursday morning.

Authorities shifted part of the operation north of Anak Krakatau after teams searched waters up to about 20 nautical miles south of the volcano without finding the boat or its occupants.

The group left Pagedongan Pier in Carita, Pandeglang Regency, Banten, at about 2 p.m. on Monday, September 7.

They were travelling toward Anak Krakatau to document the volcano’s activity when communication with the boat stopped later that day.

The missing journalists are M. Bagus Khoirunnas, a photojournalist with the Antara news agency; Ari Basuki of Merdeka.com; Yudistiro Pranoto of iNews.id; Firman Daus of Anadolu Agency; and freelance journalist Donal Husni.

Authorities identified the other people aboard as boat captain Warta, crew member Surakman and guide Heriyanto.

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) deployed seven search and rescue units across five sectors with nine vessels and other operational assets.

The Navy also assigned several ships, while teams used drones to examine waters and islands around the Sunda Strait.

“For the next stage, we may expand the search northward based on calculations of currents, wave movements and wind direction,” Basarnas Banten head Al Amrad said.

Strong winds and waves reaching between one and two meters complicated the operation. Continued eruptive activity also required rescuers to consider safety restrictions around Anak Krakatau.

Coastal residents and local boat operators joined the search near Panaitan Island on Thursday morning.

The Communication and Digital Ministry (Komdigi) is coordinating with telecommunications operators to strengthen network quality around the search area.

The support aims to improve communications among rescue teams and help authorities distribute verified operational updates.

“Through the Directorate General of Digital Infrastructure, Komdigi is supporting the search by strengthening telecommunications quality around the Sunda Strait,” Communication and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said.

“Komdigi will continue evaluating network requirements according to developments in the field.”

Meutya said the ministry was also coordinating with Basarnas, which leads the operation. Other government agencies are supporting the search within their respective responsibilities.

“We share the concern felt by the families, members of the press and the wider public. We hope everyone will soon be found safe,” she said.

The minister urged the public to avoid circulating rumors about the group’s condition, possible location or the progress of the search.

“We encourage the public to obtain and share information from official, verified sources,” Meutya said.

Meutya also reminded journalists to obey exclusion zones and official safety instructions when working near disaster areas.

She said reporters should assess maritime conditions and volcanic hazards before entering high-risk locations.

Basarnas continued to coordinate the expanding search on Thursday. Officials had reported no confirmed sighting of the speedboat or its eight occupants as of the latest available update.