At least 27 dead and 160 injured on Tuesday in the Dominican capital after the roof collapsed of an iconic nightclub in the capital of the Dominican Republic, authorities said.
Rescue crews have been searching for survivors in the rubble of the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Centre of Emergency Operations.`
According to director of the Center of Emergency Operations, Juan Manuel Méndez, “We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble.”
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Crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble at the one-story Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northeastern province of Montecristi, was among the casualties. Meanwhile, the injured include former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, congressman Bray Vargas, and merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof collapsed on the audience, according to officials.
His manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was covered in blood, informed reporters on the scene that the concert began shortly before midnight, with the ceiling collapsing almost an hour later, killing the group’s saxophone.
“It happened so quickly. I managed to throw myself into a corner,” he said, adding that he initially thought it was an earthquake.
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Manuel Olivo Ortiz, whose son attended the concert but did not return home, was among those anxiously waiting outside the club, which is known for its traditional Monday festivities featuring renowned national and international musicians. “We’re holding on only to God,,” Olivo said.
President Luis Abinader wrote on X that all rescue agencies are “working tirelessly” to help those affected.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred,” he wrote.
Abinader came at the site and comforted those searching for loved ones, some of whom were crying. He did not talk with reporters. An official with a loudhailer waited outside the club, encouraging the big crowd to look for friends and relatives and give ambulances space.
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“You have to cooperate with authorities, please,” he said. “We are removing people.”
At one hospital where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading aloud the names of survivors as a crowd gathered around her and yelled out the names of their loved ones.
