University of Pittsburgh student missing on spring break trip to the Dominican Republic
Authorities are searching for a missing University of Pittsburgh student from Virginia who disappeared last week while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen at around 4:50 a.m. local time on Thursday while walking on a beach at Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana, according to the Dominican Civil Defense and missing person posters shared on social media. Konanki had been on a spring break trip, the posters stated.
The missing person posters described Konanki as 5 feet and 3 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes. Konanki was last seen wearing a brown bikini, big round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand, and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left hand, according to the posters.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Virginia told Paste BN on Sunday that they were contacted Thursday evening about Konanki. The sheriff's office immediately followed up with federal law enforcement, the U.S. Department of State, and authorities in the Dominican Republic.
The sheriff's office also confirmed that six female students from the University of Pittsburgh had traveled to Punta Cana. At least two students are Loudoun County residents, including Konanki, who is a citizen of India.
The Embassy of India in the Dominican Republic is currently leading the investigation and working with the U.S. State Department and local law enforcement to locate Konanki, according to the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office added that it is supporting the search efforts and investigating locally in Virginia.
The Embassy of India did not immediately respond to Paste BN's request for comment on Sunday.
"University officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki's family as well as authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, and we have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely," the University of Pittsburgh said in a statement. "Anyone with information is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at 703-777-1021."
Dominican Republic authorities searching the coastal area of resort
On Saturday, the Dominican Civil Defense said on social media that it was coordinating with various agencies to search for Konanki in the coastal area of Bávaro — an area of beach resorts in Punta Cana. Those agencies include local firefighters, local police, the Dominican National Police, and the Dominican Navy.
"Our director in the area, Fernando Castillo, said that the orange Search and Rescue Unit, together with other institutions, worked since the early hours of this Saturday, trying to find the whereabouts of the young woman, Sudiksha Konanki, without success," according to the Dominican Civil Defense.
In an update Sunday, the Dominican Civil Defense said the search resumed at 6 a.m. local time. Officials also have deployed drones and helicopters from the Dominican Armed Forces.