Caption foto... JAKARTA | INDATANEWS.COM - The Indonesian Photojournalists Association (PFI) has urged the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), together with combined SAR teams from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police (Polri), to immediately resume the search for seven people who remain missing. The call comes after DNA testing identified the body of a crew member found in waters off Enggano Island, Bengkulu Province.
Banten Police Chief Inspector General Hengki confirmed the results of the DNA examination. The identity of the male body was confirmed to be
Surakman, 60, a crew member of the speedboat
Arupadhatu I. The boat was carrying five photojournalists and three crew members. Contact with the boat was lost on September 7, 2026, while the group was covering the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in the waters of the
Sunda Strait.
PFI considers the discovery an important new lead for the search operation. Basarnas had previously ended the joint search and rescue operation on its 10th day, September 17, 2026.
Surakman's Body Provides a New Lead
PFI Central Executive Board Chairman Dwi Pambudo expressed his condolences to Surakman's family. At the same time, he said the identification of the body had provided a new starting point for determining the possible location of the boat and the whereabouts of the other missing people.
"The discovery of the body of one of the crew members is the first authentic evidence since the group went missing. It refutes all speculation and provides a new lead regarding the possible location of the boat and the other survivors," Dwi Pambudo said in an official statement in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
According to Dwi, the discovery is particularly significant because it is the first physical evidence directly linked to the disappearance of the Arupadhatu I group. PFI therefore hopes that authorities will use the location where the body was found as the starting point for a renewed and more comprehensive search.
PFI has called on SAR teams to intensify search operations in the waters surrounding the location where
Surakman's body was found. The photojournalists' professional organization also asked rescue teams to consider possible sea routes from the area toward the
Sunda Strait, as well as other relevant areas where the boat may have drifted or could potentially be located.
The call is based on PFI's assessment that the new information regarding the victim's identity could help SAR teams update their analysis of the possible whereabouts of those who have not yet been found.
PFI also recalled the statement made by SAR authorities when the search and rescue operation was terminated last week. At the time, authorities said the operation could be resumed if new information or indications emerged concerning the whereabouts of the missing people.
NEW LEAD IN THE SEARCH: PFI Central Executive Board Chairman Dwi Pambudo said the discovery of Surakman's body represents the first authentic evidence and a new lead in the search for the Arupadhatu I group. (PHOTO: PFI Jakarta)
PFI Calls for Renewed Maximum Search Efforts
Dwi stressed that the families and PFI continue to hope that all of the missing people can be found. He called on the government to once again mobilize all available search resources in light of the new discovery.
"Our hope and that of the families has by no means disappeared. We ask the state to make full use of its capabilities to determine the whereabouts of our five journalist colleagues and the two other crew members who remain missing. Time is extremely valuable, and every second could be critical to their safety," Dwi said.
According to PFI, the five photojournalists who remain missing are Yudistiro Pranoto of iNews, freelance journalist Donal Husni, Arie Basuki of Merdeka.com, Firdaus Wajidi of Anadolu Agency, and Muhammad Bagus Khoirunas of the news agency LKBN Antara.
The five journalists were aboard the speedboat
Arupadhatu I to cover the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau as part of their journalistic duties. In addition to the five journalists, two other crew members remain missing.
The discovery and identification of Surakman's body have also changed the circumstances surrounding the search, which had been marked by considerable uncertainty following the conclusion of the joint SAR operation on September 17, 2026. PFI is now urging the relevant authorities to use the new information as a basis for continuing the search.
SEARCH EFFORTS TO BE MONITORED:
PFI Central Executive Board Chairman Dwi Pambudo said the organization would continue accompanying the families of the five missing photojournalists and monitoring the search process until its conclusion. (PHOTO:
PFI Jakarta)
Support for Families to Continue
As the search continues, the
PFI Central Executive Board, together with all of its regional boards, will continue to accompany the families of the five missing photojournalists. The assistance is part of
PFI's efforts to ensure that the families remain informed about developments in the search operation and the handling of the case.
PFI also stated that it would continue to monitor the search process until all measures related to the case have been resolved. The organization hopes coordination among Basarnas, TNI, Polri, and other SAR units will be strengthened again by taking into account the discovery of Surakman's body.
For
PFI, the DNA identification result not only provides certainty regarding the identity of one of the victims but also offers new information that could assist the search for the other missing people. The organization therefore called on the relevant authorities not to disregard the discovery and to immediately launch further search operations based on the location where the body was found.
PFI hopes the renewed search can provide the families of the five journalists and the two crew members with certainty regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones.
As of Wednesday, September 23, 2026,
PFI said it would continue accompanying the families and monitoring developments in the search operation. The organization also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the search and further handling of the case continue until the process is completed.
(IDNC)REPORTER: H. Muhammad Said Harahap | EDITOR: Fik Sagala