Antara sends special team to search for five journalists missing in the Sunda Strait

Antara has sent a special team to support the search for five photojournalists who lost contact while covering the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in the waters of the Sunda Strait, off Banten.

The team combines personnel from Antara’s headquarters and its Banten bureau. Antara President Director Benny Siga Butarbutar said the move would keep communication and coordination running continuously and would support efforts to intensify the search.

One of the missing journalists is Muhammad Bagus Khoirunas, a photojournalist with Antara’s Banten bureau. Antara had received no news from Bagus or the group by Tuesday night. The agency also established a media standby post with iNews and merdeka.com to coordinate updates and communication about the search.

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We have also sent a special Antara team made up of personnel from Antara headquarters and the Banten bureau to ensure that all communication and coordination efforts continue uninterrupted.

Banten police, the Water and Air Police Directorate, Basarnas and the Indonesian military have been conducting a joint search since authorities learned that the journalists had lost contact. High waves and limited visibility have hindered the operation.

The group began covering the eruption on Monday, Sept. 7. It included Bagus, Arie Basuki of merdeka.com, freelance photographer Donal Husni, Yudhistira of iNews and Daus of Anadolu. Antara said it would continue coordinating with authorities and urged the public not to circulate speculation about the journalists’ whereabouts.

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We are also urging officials to increase the intensity of the search for the group of journalists whose whereabouts remain unknown.