inp.polri.go.id - Banten. Banten Regional Police Chief Inspector General Hengki stated that the speedboat KM Arupadatu I, carrying five journalists and three crew members, has not yet been found, and has lost contact in the Sunda Strait, Pandeglang.

However, Hengki said that his team has successfully identified one victim, Surakman or Sukarman (60), a member of the speedboat crew, based on DNA matching of antemortem samples from bodies found on Enggano Island, Bengkulu.

"What is certain is that no one has found the Arupadatu I. The speedboat is still missing," he explained in an online press conference in Tangerang on Wednesday (9/23/2026).

In this regard, he emphasized that his team did not want to speculate on the status of the missing speedboat.

However, he emphasized that the Joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team is still searching for the vessel.

"There is no clarity yet on the whereabouts of the vessel," he said.

Furthermore, Hengki also revealed that the other victims, including five journalists: M Bagus Khoirunas (ANTARA News Agency), Ari Basuki (Merdeka.com), Yudhistiro (iNews), Firdaus (Anadolu), and Donal (freelance journalists), as well as two others: Warta (the ship's captain) and Heriyanto (the guide), are still missing.

He also emphasized that the police and the joint team, including Basarnas, will continue to handle and search the area, focusing on factual data and field findings collected by the team.

"The Banten Regional Police express their appreciation to the public and fishermen who have helped provide information regarding the discovery of the bodies," he said.

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