No Word Yet on Missing Students, Search Intensifies

Five days after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, the search for the four missing Lynn University students and two faculty members continues at full swing, university officials said this morning. 

The whereabouts and the condition of Stephanie Crispinelli and the others in her group are still unknown.

Rescue efforts have been underway for several days now, at the Hotel Montana—the site where the students and faculty from the "Journey of Hope-Haiti" were residing when disaster struck.

There are two contractors on the ground, rummaging through the rubble and debris of what was once the Hotel Montana. An assortment of infrared and acoustic equipment have been employed to comb the area in and around the hotel.

Moreover, a team of Lynn staff and family members are in the Dominican Republican, assisting with the search and rescue operations as well as awaiting any word on their loved ones.

Crispinelli's family is currently in Boca Raton, staying at a location off campus.

"I was with the [Crispinelli] family this morning. They are a very strong group. This is very tough time for them, but I have to say that they are handling it with grace. I am really impressed and energized by their strength," said university spokesman Jason Hughes.

What's amazing about the families is they are united in their hope that the missing will be returned to us, he added. 

The university is providing counseling services to the families of those still missing. Classes will be suspended on campus Tuesday, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Lynn students have been holding a candlelight vigil on campus to pray for the safe return of those still unaccounted for.