A spring break trip turns into a desperate search as authorities and family seek answers in the disappearance of a U.S. college student. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)
- FBI joins search for missing University of Pittsburgh student in Dominican Republic, intensifying international efforts.
- Dominican President Abinader expresses concern, defends country's safety record for tourists amid ongoing investigation.
- Parents of missing student Sudiksha Konanki travel to Punta Cana, urge authorities to expand the search.
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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The FBI has joined the search for a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student who went missing nearly a week ago while on spring break in the Dominican Republic tourist town of Punta Cana, police said Tuesday.
Dominican police said they are re-interviewing people who were with Sudiksha Konanki before she vanished in the predawn hours of March 6 at a beach in front of the Riu República Hotel.
The hotel said in a statement that Konanki’s disappearance coincided with a power outage that prompted multiple guests to head to the beach.
Dominican President Luis Abinader told reporters that he lamented the situation.
“We are concerned,” he said Monday during his weekly meeting with the press. “All government agencies are searching … because the latest information we have from one of them, from the last person who was with the young woman, what he says according to the reports is that a wave, while on the beach, crashed into them.”
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Safety of Tourists in Dominican Republic Defended
Abinader defended the safety of tourists in the Dominican Republic, saying the country receives more than 11 million visitors a year and that issues rarely arise.
Civil Defense Director Juan Salas rejected media reports saying authorities had supposedly found Konanki’s clothes, telling local newspaper El Nuevo Diario it wasn’t true.
Salas did not return messages for comment.
Details About the Missing Student
Konanki, a citizen of India, is a U.S. permanent resident from Chantilly, Virginia, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
Her parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi, flew to Punta Cana after she was reported missing and have asked authorities to widen the investigation.
Her father said she and five other female university students traveled to the Dominican Republic on March 3.
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Ongoing Investigation and Search Efforts
The involvement of the FBI and the re-interviewing of witnesses indicate an intensified effort to locate the missing student. As the search continues, authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward to assist in the investigation.
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