The FBI has joined the search for a missing 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student who disappeared during spring break in the Dominican tourist town of Punta Cana, police announced on Tuesday. Sudiksha Konanki went missing nearly a week ago in the early hours of March 6 at a beach near the Riu República Hotel. Authorities in the Dominican Republic are re-interviewing individuals who were with Konanki before she vanished. The hotel mentioned that her disappearance occurred during a power outage that led several guests to gather at the beach where she was last seen. Dominican President Luis Abinader expressed his concern during a press meeting, stating that all government agencies are involved in the search efforts. He mentioned that the last person with Konanki reported a wave hitting them on the beach. Abinader also assured the safety of tourists in the country, noting that incidents like this are rare among the millions of visitors who come to the Dominican Republic each year. Konanki’s parents have flown to Punta Cana with family friends and are requesting an expanded investigation into her disappearance. Sudiksha Konanki, an Indian citizen and U.S. permanent resident from Chantilly, Virginia, traveled to the Dominican Republic with five other female university students on March 3, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
