Oglethorpe University Student Missing Off Costa Rican Coast

ATLANTA -- Officials at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta say a student is missing after he was caught in a riptide off the coast of Costa Rica.

In a news release, officials say junior Erik Downes, who's from Florida, traveled to Costa Rica with students and faculty as part of an ecological study abroad trip.

Officials say members of the group were swimming in waters off Playa Dominical when they were caught in the riptide. The Coast Guard and others continue searching for Downes.

Downes, a pre-med major, is vice president of the student body and serves as a resident assistant on campus.