A power outage occurred at the Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic where an American college student went missing during her spring break. The outage might have an impact on the investigation regarding her disappearance.
The missing student is Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old individual studying at the University of Pittsburgh, hailing from Loudoun County, Virginia. She was last spotted walking on a beach near the RIU Republica Resort, a renowned five-star establishment, in the early hours of March 6. Efforts to locate her have been unsuccessful so far.
The power disruption at the resort started on Tuesday, March 4, at approximately 1:30 a.m., with partial power restored by 3 a.m. By 2 a.m. on Thursday, March 6, full power had been reinstated according to a statement by RIU Resorts & Hotels provided to Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
The hotel company added that “in response to publications linking the electrical failure experienced at the Riu Republica hotel with the tragic disappearance of guest Sudiksha Chowdary Konanki, RIU Hotels & Resorts wishes to firmly clarify that both events are completely unrelated.”
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior, has been missing since March 6, when she vanished during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)
The hotel added that security cameras around RIU Republica “were operational and, in fact, recorded quality images during that day and night as there was sufficient lighting.”
Security camera footage captured Konanki walking from a hotel bar to the beach with friends, including a young man with an arm wrapped around her shoulders, around 4:17 a.m. on March 6. She was apparently last seen on the beach outside the resort at 4:50 a.m. Just before 6 a.m., her friends returned to the hotel, but Konanki was not with them.
Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) said in a Tuesday statement that “[t]here has been considerable public speculation about what may have happened to Konanki and who may be involved.”
“We caution anyone from drawing any unsubstantiated conclusions and are committed to ensuring that a thorough investigation is conducted before any conclusions are reached,” they said in a news release. “The LCSO is hopeful for the safe return of Sudiksha Konanki, and we are committed to supporting this investigation and her family in every way possible.”
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the LCSO at 703-777-1021. To remain anonymous, call the Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.
