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A deadly roof collapse at the legendary Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has claimed at least 98 lives and over 160 injuries. The tragedy occurred early Tuesday morning, April 9, while popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez was performing live.
The club, which is well-known for high-profile Monday evening parties, had hundreds of people inside, including athletes, politicians, and concert-goers, when the roof collapsed at approximately 1 a.m. The collapse was seen by witnesses to have caused scenes of panic and disarray as many initially took the collapse for an earthquake.
Among the dead are a number of high-profile individuals, including Monte Cristi province governor Nelsy Cruz and sister of Major League Baseball (MLB) player Nelson Cruz. She allegedly phoned President Luis Abinader minutes before she died, telling him that she was buried under the debris. Ex-MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, 51, was also among the victims; he was rescued from the rubble but died on his way to the hospital. Dominican baseball player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera also died in the accident.
The fate of Rubby Pérez is not known. His family first said he had been rescued, but emergency officials later explained that rescue teams were still searching for him late Tuesday night. His manager, Enrique Paulino, survived the wreckage with injuries and confirmed the group’s saxophonist had been killed. “It was so quick. I could roll myself into a corner,” Paulino remembered, his shirt soaked with blood. “I thought it was an earthquake.”
Rescue operations go on day and night, with more than 400 emergency responders present. Firefighters have been using drills, planks, and bare hands to dig through wreckage, stopping repeatedly to listen for the cries of survivors. Officials are concentrating efforts on three specific locations inside the nightclub where sounds have been heard under the rubble.
We will search relentlessly,” announced Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Centre (COE), and raised guardedly optimistic hopes that some of the missing could yet be alive.
In the street outside the fallen building, devastated families milled, some of them singing hymns while they waited to hear about relatives. Others dashed to nearby hospitals and the National Institute of Forensic Pathology, where officials put up pictures to assist with identifying victims. Blood donation centers saw lines of citizens waiting out the doors to answer calls to help the wounded.
President Luis Abinader went to the scene, consoling victims’ families and coordinating with rescue teams. “We deeply lament the tragedy that took place at the Jet Set nightclub,” he declared. “We have faith in God that we will save even more people alive.”
The reason behind the collapse is still under investigation. Authorities are not yet certain when the building last underwent an inspection. The owner of the club, Antonio Espaillat, came back to the nation on Tuesday night and released a statement in which he was bereaved. “There are no words to describe the pain that this event has caused. What occurred has been devastating for everyone,” he stated.
Prosecutor Rosalba Ramos observed that although people are hungry to know what has happened, currently the priority is finding survivors. “Everyone wants to know what happened,” she said, “but our focus right now is saving lives.”
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