University of Pittsburgh student mysteriously vanishes on spring break trip to Dominican Republic
A massive search is underway for a University of Pittsburgh student who vanished during a Spring break trip to a resort in the Dominican Republic.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 at 4.50am on the beach at Riu Republica Resort. She has not been seen or heard from since.
News of her disappearance comes as other vacationers staying at the same resort took to social media to share their horrid experience due to no power or running water.
Konanki, from Ashburn, Virginia, was reported missing Thursday while traveling with a group in Punta Cana, authorities told 13 News Now.
The young student is said to have vanished while ‘walking on the beach,’ local officials said.
‘Our office was contacted on Thursday evening about a missing female from Loudoun County who was with a group of other people traveling in the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana specifically,’ a spokesperson from Virginia’s Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said on Saturday.
Defensa Civil, a search and rescue team based in the Dominican Republic, set out to look for her Saturday evening, but around 8pm the crew called off the search for the day.
‘The Orange Search and Rescue Unit, along with other institutions, worked from early Saturday hours, trying to find the whereabouts of the young woman, Sudiksha Konanki, without success,’ Defensa Civil said on social media. The search continued at 5am Sunday.
A missing persons poster shared online described her as 5’3″, with black hair and brown eyes.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 at 4.50am on the beach at Riu Republica Resort. She has not been seen or heard from since
Defensa Civil, a search and rescue team based in the Dominican Republic, set out to look for her Saturday evening, but around 8pm the crew called off the search for the day. (Pictured: The search and rescue team)
She was last seen wearing a two-piece bikini, large round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right wrist and multi-colored bracelets on her left, the poster said.
Jared Stonesifer, a spokesperson for the University of Pittsburgh, told the outlet the school has been in contact with Konanki’s family as well as local officials.
‘We have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely,’ Stonesifer said.
‘Anyone with information is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.’
Several users recorded their experiences at the resort, as many were seen turning shower and sink faucets with no water coming out.
Another user said Wifi was also down, noting that ‘people are in the lobby charging their phones.’
A missing persons poster shared online described her as 5’3″, with black hair and brown eyes
News of her disappearance came as other vacationers took to social media to share the horrid experience they’re having at the same resort (pictured) due to no power or water
Some tourists even had to charge their devices and use fans behind the receptionist desk at the resort, another person shared online.
Meanwhile, a group of women staying at the resort were seen sitting in the dark as they ate a meal that they managed to ‘scavenge together.’
‘They have one restaurant to feed a couple thousand people,’ another said.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
