Pandeglang, Banten. Indonesian search-and-rescue teams will enter restricted waters around Mount Anak Krakatau if there are strong indications that eight people missing in the Sunda Strait are in the area, while maintaining strict safety measures for rescuers, the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said Thursday.

The group includes five journalists and three boat crew members who lost contact while traveling toward Anak Krakatau to cover the volcano’s activity.

Basarnas chief Air Vice Marshal Mohammad Syafii said the search, which entered its third day Thursday, was being conducted by sea and air. The operation would follow safety procedures because the waters around Anak Krakatau pose risks associated with volcanic activity.

“The operation can be carried out with safety limitations. We will conduct the operation with safety guarantees,” Syafii told reporters on Thursday.

He said safety standards for SAR personnel differ from those applied to the general public in areas considered hazardous because of volcanic activity. A restricted zone would therefore not automatically prevent rescuers from entering if there were credible signs that the missing people were there.

“If there are signs that they are inside that area, then with the capabilities and equipment we have, and as long as safety can be guaranteed, they will enter,” Syafii said.

He compared the situation to firefighters entering a burning building. While members of the public would be prohibited from entering, trained rescuers equipped for hazardous conditions could enter to save people.

Basarnas may also expand or modify the search pattern based on findings in the field. Each development will be evaluated to determine the next stage of the operation, Syafii said.

The eight people went missing after departing from Pagedongan Pier in Carita, Pandeglang, on Monday, Sept. 7, aboard a speedboat bound for waters around Anak Krakatau.

The five journalists are M. Bagus Khoirunnas of Antara, Ari Basuki of Merdeka.com, Yudhis of iNews, Daus of Anadolu and Donal, a freelance journalist.

They were traveling with three boat crew members to report on activity at Anak Krakatau when contact with the group was lost.

As of Thursday, their whereabouts remained unknown. Search teams continued to deploy sea and air assets while weighing the safety risks posed by conditions around the volcano.

The operation is therefore racing against time while also accounting for the changing natural conditions in the waters where the group disappeared.

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