Punta Cana Resort Where Sudiksha Konanki Disappeared Had Problems, Guests Claim

• Sudiksha Konanki, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, went missing after being last seen on the beach at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana
• The resort has since been put in the spotlight as some guests complain about safety concerns and other problems
• The company says it is providing support to authorities in the search for Konanki and calls the “well-being of our guests” its “highest priority”
  

A resort in the Dominican Republic is in the spotlight following the disappearance of a 20-year-old college student from the U.S. who was vacationing in the Caribbean country less than a week ago. 

Sudiksha Konanki, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, went missing on Thursday, March 6, and was last seen that morning “when she entered the beach of the Riu Hotel in Punta Cana,” the Dominican Republic National Police said in a statement, referring to the Riu República Hotel.

The police, who are investigating Konanki’s case along with an array of local and international authorities, have said Konanki was staying at the resort with five friends who all arrived in the country on March 3.

She was last seen on surveillance cameras with a group walking onto the beach around 4:15 a.m. local time on Thursday, police said. 

After the walk on the beach, most of the group went back to the hotel but Konanki stayed with one other person, ABC News reported on Monday, March 10, citing a Dominican Republic investigative police report.   

She is believed to have subsequently drowned in the ocean after being caught by a big wave when she and the other person went for a swim, per the outlet.

However, that conclusion has been criticized by authorities in Loudon County, Va., where Konanki is from.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that “there is no evidence or confirmation of a drowning at this time and the case is being aggressively investigated by U.S. law enforcement working with the Dominican national police, with support from assets here at home.”

No one has been arrested or accused of a crime.

Subbarayudu Konanki, Sudiksha’s father, earlier told media outlets that his daughter was in the Dominican Republic for spring break with friends.

“She wanted to have a nice break with her friends in Punta Cana — she came with her friends on March 3rd,” Subbarayudu told local radio station WTOP. 

Here is what we know about the Riu República Hotel. 

What Is the Riu República Hotel?

The Riu República Hotel is one of five hotel properties in Punta Cana, a popular vacation town, that is overseen by RIU Hotels and Resorts, which was founded in 1953 in Mallorca, Spain.

According to the company’s website, the República has more than 1,300 rooms distributed across three buildings. Among its amenities are eight swimming pools, satellite television, air conditioning, a room safe and minibar and beverage dispensers.

It also contains nine restaurants and 10 hotel bars. Entertainment activities for guests include live music, shows and beach parties, while the hotel’s more athletic visitors can enjoy such sports as volleyball, windsurfing and kayaking. 

“Punta Cana is one of the most popular Caribbean holiday destinations for its natural beauty and heavenly beaches,” according to RIU’s description of the hotel, which describes itself as adults-only. 

What Has the Hotel Said About Sudiksha Konanki’s Disappearance?

In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday, March 11, the hotel company expressed concern and sympathy after Konanki vanished.

“At RIU Hotels, we are deeply concerned about the disappearance of one of our guests, who has not been seen since the early hours of yesterday. From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search,” the company said.

“We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” company officials continued. “The safety and well-being of our guests are our highest priority, and we are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation.”

RIU went on to say that “our team is providing full support to the authorities in the search, and an emergency protocol has been activated to ensure that all necessary measures are taken.”

“Additionally, we have established an internal communication channel so that any of our employees, across our five hotels in Punta Cana, who may have relevant information can share it with us or the authorities. We are grateful to everyone involved in this search and will continue working hand in hand with the relevant authorities to clarify what has happened,” the company said. 

Guest Alleges Lack of Communication by the Hotel Over Safety

In an interview with NewsNation on Monday, D’Lani Sweeney, who said she was a guest at the República at the same time as Sudiksha, alleged that the hotel did not warn visitors that the ocean waves at the time were huge and dangerous. 

“I remember the waves being a lot bigger than they normally were,” Sweeney told NewsNation. “Me and my friends were on the beach and I remember telling them that I was not going into the ocean because I know I could swim but not that well enough to feel safe in the ocean.

“I know a couple of friends who did go in but they weren’t in for a while, and there weren’t as many people in the ocean as we normally would see,” she said.

Sweeney added: “There was no communication from the resort at all. … It was just kind of left up to your own discretion.”

“I know we would go down and another group of people would go down to take beach pictures,” she said. “One night there was a security guard whistling at people to come in from the beach who were going in, but that was the only night that I had seen it.”

In response to her account, a spokesperson from RIU wrote in a Tuesday email to PEOPLE: “The red flag placed on the beach as a warning indicated that the sea had a strong current and very high waves, which warned guests of the danger of entering the open sea in these conditions. With a red flag, [i]t is forbidden to go into the sea.”

Power Outage Stirs Guest Anger amid Student’s Disappearance

As reported by Dominican Today, the hotel confirmed that there was a power failure in the early morning hours of Thursday, around the time Sudishka was on the beach.

According to the local news outlet, the outage lasted from Wednesday, March 5, through the following morning, leaving large parts of the property in darkness. 

Sweeney, who said she was another hotel guest, also mentioned the power outage in a Monday Instagram post.

She told NewsNation about the conditions she experienced at the República, alleging faulty keycards that made it difficult for guests to get in and out of rooms; the water and air conditioning being shut off; no internet service; and poor food. 

Another woman who said she was a guest at the resort, Melaun Acuff, said in a recent TikTok video that she arrived at the República on March 3 and encountered a check-in that lasted for more than an hour due to the amount of people who were there.

She recalled the power going out that led her to go night swimming because there was nothing to do and she also said her room key was not working. Acuff said her friend’s purse was stolen, too. 

“You at least expect the basics, and we even didn’t get that,” she said of her “ridiculous” experience.

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The RIU spokesperson told PEOPLE that “the electrical failure at the hotel and the tragic disappearance of our guest have no relation.”

The spokesperson said the outage had largely been addressed “in just two hours” — noting that “the security cameras were working well and showed quality footage” — and was then “totally solved” before Sudiksha Konanki went to the beach on Thursday.

As for the guest complaints, the spokesperson said, “All members of our staff had been doing their best to mitigate the inconveniences generated by this situation. Despite this, we are aware of the inconvenience that this event generated for the affected guests. For this reason, RIU has established a compensation policy that will apply to all those customers who process their claim through official channels, either directly with RIU Hotels or with the travel provider with whom they made their reservation.”