Authorities in the Dominican Republic are looking for a University of Pittsburgh student who went missing on the country’s east coast, reported CNN. 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki from India was last seen on Thursday at the beach near the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana, according to the Dominican National Emergency System, reported CNN.
According to the Dominican National Police, Konanki disappeared at 4:15 am local time on Thursday, the report said. Surveillance footage shows her with a group of young adults near the beach, according to a statement, reported CNN.
Police are questioning people who were with Konanki to figure out her whereabouts so that a more focussed search is carried at the sea. This includes a young man who went into the water to support his version of what happened, along with other investigative actions that have not been made public yet, the statement said, reported CNN.
Konanki’s father, Subbarayudu Konanki, told CNN that his daughter went to Punta Cana for spring break before starting her pre-med studies at Pittsburgh.
He added that she went to the beach on March 6 around 4 am with her friends and some other guys they met at the resort. After a while, her friends returned, but his daughter never came back or appeared again from the beach. When she was not found in her room the next morning, her friends had alerted the authorities, the CNN report said.
The authorities have been carrying out the searches in the nearby bay area, bushes and trees using helicopters, but so far there has been no update.
The Riu hotel chain gave out a statement in Spanish which said, “We want to express our sincerest empathy towards the family and friends during this very difficult time. The safety and wellbeing of our guests are our highest priority, and we are committed to doing everything possible to assist in this situation.”
(More details are awaited.)