Resume search for a medical graduate recently absent from the US Virgin Islands

Rescuers from the US Virgin Islands resumed – and expanded – their search Wednesday for a graduate of a missing American medical school that has not been seen for nearly a week, officials said.

Tropical Storm Karen prompted island authorities to briefly curtail their efforts to find Lucy Schuhmann, 48, before resuming their search on Wednesday.

The expanded research includes "some of the most remote and rugged areas of the" Virgin Islands National Park, according to a statement from the park.

"The terrain is very steep and very vegetated, while the conditions are hot, humid and wet," the statement said. "The safety of park staff is a cause for concern as recent storms have cut down trees and other types of vegetation along hiking trails."

According to the school, Schuhmann recently graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Louisville and Mary Rowley, Ximedus' leading medical educator, a medical exam preparation service used by the missing woman.

Schuhmann was a frequent visitor to St. John and was eager to go after his most recent medical exam in Philadelphia on Sept. 12, according to Rowley.

"She is very athletic and that's the kind of person who would go away alone, so it's not that different from her," Rowley told NBC News on Wednesday. "People are starting to lose hope, but not me."

According to Rowley, Schuhmann is older than almost all of his recent medical graduates.

"She decided to go back to school because helping people is a burning desire in her," Rowley said. "It's such a compassionate person."

Schuhmann was reported missing Thursday after her bags were found in a vacation rental in Coral Bay, St. John, officials said.

Her rental car was found on a parking lot in the Virgin Islands National Park, officials said. Rescuers focused their research on the south side of the park near the place where Schuhmann's car was found.

Divers and snorkelers have been investigating the waters off St. John, and a US Coast Guard helicopter has also searched the area, according to a statement released Tuesday in the Virgin Islands National Park.