Eyewitness News — BAJRASANDHI
13.September 2026.
Members of the Bali Journalists Alliance gathered for a spontaneous candlelight vigil and joint prayer, seeking divine intervention for the safe recovery of five Banten-based journalists so they may be reunited with their families.
This was initiated by the Denpasar Press Photographers Association (PFI) and involved a number of press and media organizations, including the Denpasar Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Bali Online Journalists Association (IWO), AMSI Bali, Bali Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI), PENA NTT, and Bali Cyber Media Association (AMSI).
The gathering was dedicated to the safety of the five journalists who lost contact while covering developments in the waters surrounding Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait on the afternoon of September 7, 2026.
The missing journalists are:
• Muhammad Bagus Khoirunnas — Photographer, Antara Banten Bureau (PFI Tangerang)
• Ari Basuki — Photographer, Merdeka.com (PFI Jakarta)
• Yudistiro Pranoto — Photographer, iNews.id (PFI Jakarta)
• Firdaus Wajidi — Videographer, Anadolu Agency
• Donal Husni — Freelance Visual Journalist (PFI Tangerang)
They were accompanied by three crew members:
• Warta — Captain / Skipper
• Surakman — Crew Member
• Heriyanto — Guide
”We all hope that tomorrow, on the seventh day, the search yields better results or that our colleagues are found safely through the prayers we offered today,” said Dicky Bisinglasi, Chairman of PFI Denpasar.
Bisinglasi expressed hope that the joint prayer would bring a breakthrough as the search enters its seventh day and beyond. Under Law No. 29 of 2014, standard SAR operations run for seven days from the designation of the Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator (SMC), with provisions for an extension on humanitarian grounds.
Reporter: Daniel Herry
