SAR team recovers unmarked life jacket during journalist search

Pandeglang, Banten (ANTARA) - Joint search and rescue (SAR) teams searching for five missing journalists in the Sunda Strait have recovered a life jacket and a plastic container off the coast of Anyer, though authorities cautioned that the items have not yet been linked to the missing vessel.

The discovery was made by the Banten Naval Base ship KAL Anyer approximately 7.05 nautical miles offshore, roughly 10 to 12 nautical miles from the speedboat's last known location.

Banten Naval Base Commander Lieutenant Colonel Wawan Subagyo Mardani stated that the recovered items—an unmarked life jacket and a white canister-type bottle commonly used by local fishermen—are undergoing formal identification at the main command post in Pandeglang to prevent public speculation.

"We cannot immediately declare that these items are related to the victim," Wawan said in Pandeglang, Thursday.

"We will gather all findings at the command post for initial identification before announcing whether or not the items actually belong to the victim. We want to avoid making statements that could trigger doubt or wild speculation,” he added.

Naval authorities plans to cross-reference the characteristics of the recovered items with the speedboat's charterer to determine ownership.

Meanwhile, National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Head Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii reported that aerial sweeps over the waters and islands surrounding Mount Anak Krakatau on Thursday yielded no visual contact with the missing journalist or vessel.

"Personally, I did not spot anything from the aircraft earlier. However, the results of today's operation will be based on reports from the six sectors in the field," Syafii stated.

He noted that earch efforts are operating under challenging field conditions, including degraded visibility below 1,500 meters caused by regional haze and volcanic activity.

Syafii reaffirmed that the SAR operation will continue for seven days in accordance with International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) standards, utilizing data from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

"We assure you that the search process in the field is ongoing and has not been halted," Syafii said, noting that a multi-agency evaluation meeting will be convened on the seventh day to determine next phase of the operation in search of the five journalists.

The five journalists identified are M. Bagus Khoirunnas from ANTARA, Ari Basuki of Merdeka, Yudistiro Pranoto from iNews, Firdaus Wajidi from Anadolu and Donal Husni, a freelance journalist. Three crew members were also aboard the speedboat.

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