- Eight people missing, including five journalists, after a speedboat failed to return from a Mount Anak Krakatau assignment.
- They left near Jakarta Monday afternoon to cover the eruption that blanketed Jakarta with ash and disrupted airports.
- Passengers included Antara, Anadolu and iNews journalists; one sent his location at 3:00 pm then lost contact.
- Rescuers, police and the boat company searched, but operations were paused overnight and will resume Wednesday due to conditions.
- Search hampered by high waves and poor visibility; marine accidents are common in Indonesia due to lax safety and rough weather.
Indonesian teams were searching on Tuesday for eight people including five journalists who had gone missing while travelling to cover the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, the national rescue agency said.
The group set out on a speedboat from an area near the capital Jakarta on Monday afternoon, but “until now they have not returned, and the boat owner has not received any information from the crew”, the agency said.
The five Indonesian journalists on board were sent to capture photos and video of the volcano’s eruption, which since Saturday had paralysed several airports and blanketed Jakarta and neighbouring cities in volcanic ash.
The journalists were working for local and international media, including state news agency Antara, Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu and local website iNews.
One of the journalists contacted a colleague and shared his location at 3:00 pm on Monday, but has not been heard from since, according to the rescue agency.
Rescuers, police and the company that owns the speedboat were all involved in the search, it added.
The head of the local search and rescue agency, Al Amrad, said in a statement the boat carried five journalists, two crew members and a guide.
He was also quoted by broadcaster Kompas TV saying that the search had been halted for the day, and would resume on Wednesday morning.
Antara news agency confirmed its photographer, Muhammad Bagus Khoirunas, was one of the passengers on the missing boat.
The agency said it was coordinating with authorities to seek more information, but it was informed by the police that the search was hampered by high waves and poor visibility.
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.
