Rescuers comb the seas for missing Indonesian journalists on volcano mission

Indonesian rescuers combed the waters and islands around an active volcano on Wednesday for a missing speedboat carrying eight people, including five journalists sent to cover a volcanic eruption.

The second day of the search has come up empty-handed, the Basarnas national search and rescue agency said.

The group set out on a speedboat from an area west of Jakarta on Monday afternoon, but the crew lost contact with the boat owner soon after, according to rescuers.

The five Indonesian journalists were on a mission to capture photos and video of the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, which for days paralysed several airports and blanketed cities including Jakarta in volcanic ash.

They were accompanied by two boat crew members and a guide.

The search effort launched on Tuesday afternoon but paused hours later due to high waves and poor visibility.

Rescuers have combed through an area of more than 270 nautical miles, including islands near the volcano, in an operation involving dozens of police officers, soldiers, fishermen, and volunteers, the Basarnas agency said in a statement.

“So far, the search result is zero,” local Basarnas head Al Amrad said on Wednesday afternoon.

The operation has been suspended for the day and will resume on Thursday, he told AFP.

Rescuers were proceeding cautiously as Anak Krakatau continued to spew thick volcanic ash, he added.

“The search will continue to be carried out according to conditions on the ground,” Al Amrad said.

The agency said it had deployed high-speed search and rescue vessels, inflatable boats, and thermal drones in the search.

The journalists are employed by local and international media, including the state news agency Antara, the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu, and the local website iNews.

One of the journalists contacted a colleague and shared his location at 3pm on Monday, but has not been heard from since, the rescue agency said.

Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in the Southeast Asian archipelago, due in part to lax safety standards and inclement weather.

In January, three Spanish tourists died when their boat sank off eastern Indonesia, and a 10-year-old boy was listed as officially missing, presumed dead, after authorities ended the search.