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The Dominican Republic resort where University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki went missing last week experienced a lengthy power outage just hours before Konanki vanished, the resort company and guests told Fox News Digital.
Konanki, a 20-year-old Virginia resident, was seen for the last time after 4 a.m. on March 6, apparently walking on the beach outside the RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, according to authorities and a flyer being circulated online.
Less than two hours before the University of Pittsburgh student disappeared, power was restored at the five-star, adults-only RIU Republica, where she was staying with five female friends, following an approximately 25-hour outage.
“The electrical outage occurred during the early hours of Tuesday, March 4 to Wednesday, March 5, specifically at 01:27 AM. Two hours later, service was restored to 70%, while the remaining power supply was fully reinstated on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, specifically at 02:13 AM, which is before the time of the disappearance. The lobby and common areas remained powered throughout the entire day of March 5 and the early hours of March 6,” RIU Hotels told Fox News Digital in an updated statement Wednesday.
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The hotel company followed up saying, “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.”
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.”
READ RUI RESORTS FULL STATEMENT HERE:
“Throughout the night and early morning of Wednesday to Thursday, Sudiksha Chowdary Konanki was seen in various areas of the hotel, enjoying the facilities in the company of other young guests,” the hotel company said. “The last recorded image of her was at 04:17 AM, when she was seen leaving a hotel bar in a group heading towards the beach. RIU staff acted appropriately upon being notified of the disappearance, fulfilling their duty to inform the authorities, with whom, as expected, cooperation has been absolute.”
“RIU is also fully committed to offering any support that the young woman’s family may require during these difficult days. Everyone at RIU shares their pain, and our thoughts and prayers are with Sudiksha C. Konanki and her family,” RIU Hotels continued. “We must emphasise that the power outage lasted no more than 25 hours and did not affect the entire hotel as, within two hours, energy had been restored to 70% of the facilities.”
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The Dominican Republic, which is currently under a State Department Level 2 travel advisory and shares a border with Level 4 Haiti, experiences almost daily blackouts in certain areas that can last for more than 10 hours, according to the OPEC Fund for International Development.
The hotel parent company added that members of the RIU Republica’s staff’s efforts “were exemplary in terms of dedication, commitment, and professionalism in resolving a severe technical failure within hours and mitigating the effects it had on services throughout that time.”
Konanki was reportedly walking with a young man just before she vanished, La Policia Nacional, the country’s national police force, said in a translated statement.
Several guests who spoke with Fox News Digital expressed their concerns with the power and water outage, as well as other safety concerns at the RIU Republica. Various recent Google reviews also complain about power and water issues.
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“I understand it’s spring break, but this is terrible,” Nick Musca said. “The water doesn’t work. There was no power yesterday. This is terrible.”
D’Lani Sweeney described her stay at the RIU Republica as “the spring break trip from Hell” on TikTok but noted that most staff members were very accommodating and tried to make guests comfortable when problems arose.
“The night that she did disappear was the night that everything was kind of going on and was so chaotic.”
— D’Lani Sweeney
“People were staying out later by the pools or on the beach because they had no AC in their rooms,” Sweeney told Fox News Digital. “It was so hot, and that’s kind of the only way they could cool down or have any … relaxation at all. It just makes me a little bit mad and also … sad.”
Sweeney described using bottled water to brush her teeth in her hotel room and using outlets in the hotel’s lobby or gym to charge her phone. Due to the power outage, there was no Wi-Fi service in certain areas of the resort.
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People without international phone plans who were using Wi-Fi to contact people overseas had trouble connecting with friends or family to explain the situation, she said.
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Additionally, the resort had red flags on the beach to warn travelers about strong currents and big waves around the time of the outages.
“There are no lights or lanterns or anything on the beach to kind of illuminate it to help someone if they are on the beach.”
— D’Lani Sweeney
“We could see the beach, and it was pitch black,” Sweeney said of the beach at night. “We’d also been on the beach before, even when power was on, and there was a little trickle of light … so in a power outage, you can’t see anything at all.
“There are no lights or lanterns or anything on the beach to kind of illuminate it to help someone if they are on the beach. When you go down there, you can’t see anything. The only anything that you can see is just … pitch black — maybe a couple stars in the sky or lights from surrounding resorts farther down the beach. And then you can just only hear like the waves of the ocean.”
A woman who stayed at a different RIU resort in Punta Cana about a week prior to Konanki’s disappearance and opted to be identified by her first name, Woeser, said the resort felt safe overall, but she had similar trouble using power outlets and had one strange experience with a man who did not speak English at a club on the resort property.
“We were there sitting at the bar, and two guys came over to us. We were just talking,” Woeser told Fox News Digital.
One of the men opted to communicate with Woeser and her friend using Google Translate on his phone. At one point, Woeser’s friend said it was too loud and went outside to get some air. Woeser then went to use the bathroom.
When she got back to the bar, she forgot her friend had stepped outside and asked the man using Google Translate that she was speaking to previously if he knew where her friend went.
“On his Google Translate app, he was saying…’Oh, you’re alone. You shouldn’t be here. Let’s go to the beach.”
Woeser felt the comment was “suspicious” and recorded him, but her friend returned before they could say anything more to each other.
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The FBI and Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia are involved in the search for the missing Pitt student. All of the friends she traveled with have been accounted for.
“The ongoing investigation includes wide-ranging search efforts, along with a review of surveillance video and telephone records,” the sheriff’s office said in a Monday press release. “Interviews are also continuing with anyone who may have seen or been with Konanki before she went missing. The LCSO has filed for a Yellow Notice (worldwide police alert for a missing person) to be issued by INTERPOL.”
The sheriff’s office added that “[t]here has been considerable public speculation about what may have happened to Konanki and who may be involved.”
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“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.
Fox News’ Jacqliene Mangini contributed to this report.
