SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - The U.S. Bureau of Federal Investigations is joining the search for a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student who went missing during spring break in the Dominican Republic.
Missing in Punta Cana
The backstory:
Sudiksha Konanki vanished on March 6, during the predawn hours, from 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.
What they’re saying: "We are concerned," Abinader 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."
Konanki clothes not found
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.
Who is Sudiksha Konanki?
Dig deeper:
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.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Los Angeles.