JAKARTA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian authorities have ended a search for eight people, including five journalists, who went missing near the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano after rescuers found no trace of their boat or passengers, an official said Thursday.
The speedboat lost contact on Sept. 7 while carrying five journalists and three crew members in the Sunda Strait. Search teams found no sign of the vessel or those aboard, said Al Amrad, head of the Banten Search and Rescue Agency.
Amrad said the operation was ended in accordance with National Search and Rescue Agency regulations after seven days of searching yielded no results.
"On the seventh day, we also found no signs, no objects," he said, citing reports from the water police and navy.
Police are examining a body found on Enggano Island for a possible connection to the case, although DNA test results have yet to be released.
Amrad said the search could resume if new information or debris linked to the missing boat emerges.
Authorities have alerted vessels crossing the Sunda Strait and urged fishermen and residents with relevant information to contact police or search and rescue agencies.
Anak Krakatau has remained intermittently active since early September, disrupting flights and airport operations in parts of western Indonesia. ■
