Inp.polri.go.id - Serang. The Banten Regional Police confirmed that debris recovered during search operations near Rakata Island in the Sunda Strait does not belong to the missing vessel KM Arupadhatu 1 or the five journalists aboard. 

Speaking on Sunday (13/9/2026), Banten Police Head of Public Relations Senior Superintendent Maruli Ahiles Hutapea said that physical checks on recovered life jackets, plastic containers, and a red helmet showed clear discrepancies with the vessel's inventory.

"Conformation with the vessel owner verified that the recovered items differ from those on board KM Arupadhatu 1," he explained.

Meanwhile, the joint SAR team expanded search operations for the missing journalists, unreachable since covering Mount Anak Krakatau's eruption, across six sectors covering 6,010 square nautical miles. 

Five sectors focus on sea search operations utilizing naval ships, police patrol boats, and rescue vessels, while one dedicated sector conducts aerial surveillance.

(mg/ad/pr/rs)