Five journalists go missing while covering Anak Krakatau eruption

Eight people, including five journalists covering the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, went missing off the coast of Indonesia on September 7, the country’s national rescue agency said.

Indonesian rescue teams are still searching for the missing group, who set out by speedboat from an area near the capital Jakarta on the afternoon of September 7. The search involves rescuers, police and the company that owns the speedboat, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“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 worked for local and international media outlets, 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 on September 7, but has not been heard from since, according to the rescue agency.

They had been sent to capture photos and video of the volcano’s eruption, which began on September 4 and ended on September 7. The eruption sent a column of ash and smoke more than 15,000 metres into the air, paralysing several airports and blanketing Jakarta and neighbouring cities in volcanic ash. According to Indonesia’s meteorological service, the sound of the eruption could be heard as far as 700 kilometres away.

The latest eruption has once again highlighted the dangers posed by Krakatau, a volcano with a deadly history. Its 1883 eruption killed around 36,000 people, while Anak Krakatau, meaning “Child of Krakatau,” emerged at the site of the disaster in 1927 and remains active.

In December 2018, a partial collapse of the volcano triggered a tsunami that killed more than 430 people and injured around 14,000 others.

By Jeyhun Aghazada