Sudiksha Konanki. Photo:
A 20-year-old college student is missing after going for an early morning beach walk while vacationing in the Dominican Republic.
University of Pittsburgh junior Sudiksha Konanki — a resident of Virginia’s Loudoun County and citizen of India — was last seen on Thursday, March 6, while walking on a beach at Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana, according to the Dominican Civil Defense and a missing poster shared on social media. She was on a spring break trip, the poster stated.
Konanki was traveling with a group of six fellow Pittsburgh students, all female, including one other Loudoun County resident, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) told PEOPLE in a statement.
It is not immediately clear whether the group traveling with Konanki has returned from the trip or whether they were with her when she was last spotted.
Sudiksha Konanki. Facebook
The search for Konanki began in the early hours of Saturday, March 8, to no avail, according to the Dominican Civil Defense. Authorities resumed the search at 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 9, employing drones and helicopters from the country’s armed forces, the agency stated in an update on Instagram alongside footage of the beach search.
The LCSO said that, upon being notified of Konanki’s disappearance on Thursday evening, the agency immediately followed up with federal and state law enforcement officials, as well as contacts in the Dominican Republic. The Embassy of India in the country has “taken the lead” on the ground, the agency said.
The Embassy of India did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Loudoun County officials have also been in contact with the University of Pittsburgh, as well as Konanki’s family, amid the search, a spokesman for the college told Virginia outlet WVEC.
“We have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely,” spokesperson Jared Stonesifer told the outlet on March 8, adding that anyone with information about her disappearance is “urged to contact” the LCSO.
Similarly, the caption of Konanki’s missing poster — which was shared by someone who identified themselves as a friend of her parents — read, “We need your help to get the word out! If you are in the area or can help with the search, or if you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please reach out.”
“The more people who know, the better the chances we can bring her home safely,” the caption concluded.
The college junior is 5 foot 3 inches, has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a brown bikini, round earrings, an anklet and several bracelets, according to the missing poster.
