Eight Vanish at Sea Beside One of Indonesia’s Most Dangerous Volcanoes

Lost in the Sunda Strait

A Boat Headed Towards an Erupting Volcano — Then All Contact Stopped

Eight people, including five Indonesian photojournalists, are missing after a speedboat travelling towards the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano lost contact in the Sunda Strait. Indonesian search teams widened a major operation on Wednesday as rescuers attempted to locate the vessel and everyone on board.

The group had travelled towards the volcanic island to photograph and film its latest eruption. Their disappearance has created a second emergency around Anak Krakatau just days after volcanic ash disrupted airports, grounded aircraft and affected hundreds of thousands of travellers across Indonesia.

Speedboat Lost Contact After Reaching Volcano Waters

The speedboat was carrying five photojournalists, two crew members and a route guide when it departed from Carita in Banten province on Monday, September 7.

Authorities said the group was travelling towards Anak Krakatau, which lies in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. A final message received by relatives of one of the journalists at 6:13pm said the group had reached waters around the volcano.

No confirmed contact has been reported since.

The journalists have been identified as Muhammad Bagus Khoirunnas, Arie Basuki, Yudhistira Pranoto, Firdaus Wajidi and freelance photographer Donal Husni. They had travelled into the area to document the extraordinary volcanic activity that has unfolded around Anak Krakatau.

Search Expands Across the Sunda Strait

Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, police, military and other emergency personnel have been involved in the operation.

The search area was expanded on Wednesday across a large section of the Sunda Strait, including waters around Carita, Rakata, Panjang, Sebesi and Legundi islands. Search modelling raised the possibility that the missing boat could have drifted away from its original route, prompting additional resources to be deployed.

Five vessels, including two Indonesian navy ships, have been involved in the expanded operation.

The scale of the search reflects the difficulty facing rescuers. They are not simply looking for people on land around the volcano but for a relatively small vessel somewhere within a large and potentially shifting maritime search zone.

Sea currents can dramatically widen the possible location of a missing boat as time passes. Every additional hour without confirmed contact therefore increases the importance of modelling currents, checking nearby islands and searching progressively larger areas.

Anak Krakatau Is Still Erupting

The disappearance has taken place while Anak Krakatau itself remains highly active.

The volcano erupted for roughly 25 hours during the weekend before shifting into intermittent eruptions. Subsequent explosions have ejected ash, lava and incandescent volcanic material from its crater.

Authorities have maintained restrictions around the volcano and warned people against approaching the immediate danger zone.

That matters for the rescue operation because the missing group had deliberately travelled towards the volcano to document its activity. Their final known journey therefore placed them in an area where maritime hazards and volcanic hazards overlap.

There is currently no confirmed evidence that the eruption directly caused the boat to disappear. The circumstances surrounding the loss of contact remain unknown, and authorities have not announced a definitive explanation for what happened.

Volcano Has Already Caused Massive Disruption

Anak Krakatau's latest eruption has already caused disruption far beyond the volcanic island itself.

Volcanic ash forced the temporary closure of eight Indonesian airports, including Jakarta's major Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Thousands of flights were disrupted and more than 300,000 travellers were affected as aviation authorities dealt with ash capable of damaging aircraft engines and other critical systems.

Schools in some affected areas moved temporarily to remote learning, while fishing activity was also restricted and residents were advised to protect themselves against volcanic ash.

The airports have since reopened as conditions improved, although aircraft inspections and residual delays have continued.

The contrast is stark. While much of Indonesia begins recovering from the eruption's disruption, an emergency is still unfolding at sea close to the volcano itself.

Why Anak Krakatau Carries Such a Dangerous History

Anak Krakatau — literally the "child of Krakatau" — emerged from the volcanic system left behind by the catastrophic destruction of Krakatau in 1883.

That eruption became one of the most famous volcanic disasters in recorded history, producing devastating explosions and tsunamis around the Sunda Strait.

Anak Krakatau later grew from the remains of the original volcanic complex and has remained repeatedly active.

Its dangers were demonstrated again in December 2018 when part of the volcano collapsed into the sea. The resulting tsunami struck coastal communities around the Sunda Strait and killed more than 400 people.

That history means significant eruptions at Anak Krakatau are monitored closely not only for ash and explosive activity but also for changes to the volcano's structure.

Indonesian authorities have said there is currently no immediate indication of a tsunami threat comparable with the 2018 disaster. The principal confirmed danger in the latest eruption has instead involved explosive activity, lava, volcanic material and widespread ash.

What Happens Next

The immediate priority is finding the eight missing people and locating their speedboat.

Search teams can continue adjusting their operating area according to currents, weather conditions, sightings and calculations based on the vessel's last known position. Nearby islands and shipping routes also provide possible locations where the group or wreckage could eventually be detected.

At the same time, Anak Krakatau remains under close observation. Further eruptions remain possible, meaning authorities must conduct a maritime rescue beside an active volcano while still enforcing restrictions designed to keep other vessels away from danger.

For the families of the eight missing people, however, the enormous geological story surrounding Anak Krakatau has been reduced to one urgent question: where did their boat go after its final message from the waters beside the volcano?

Until rescuers answer it, the search across the Sunda Strait continues.