San Juan, Puerto Rico – The roof of an iconic nightclub in the capital of The Dominican Republic collapsed Almost an hour after a meringue concert began, killing at least 98 people and wounding at least 160. politicians and athletes were among those of Jet Set in Santo Domingo when the disaster attacked on Tuesday.
The authorities said it is too early to determine why the roof fell.
The rescue teams sought survivors in the rubble during the night while a multitude of people waiting for their loved ones expected anxiously close.
The roof collapsed Almost an hour after the meringue concert led by Rubby Pérez began in Jet Set, which was known for organizing meringue parties every Monday that drew international and national and dominican artists of high profile.
A video posted on social networks shows parts of the roof falling when people began to move away seconds before the entire roof fell.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the province of Monte Cristi and sister of seven times there of the Major Leagues of Moldias Nelson CruzHe was the first person to alert Dominican President Luis Abinader about disaster. She called him and said she was buried under the rubble, according to the first lady Raquel Abraje.
Nelsy Cruz then died in the hospital for his wounds, authorities said.
The authorities say it is too early to determine why the roof fell. Firefighters eliminated broken concrete blocks and created improvised tables to try to reach the survivors buried under the rubble.
It is not clear how often government officials inspect the buildings in the Dominican Republic and when the last inspection was carried out in Jet Set.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works told The Associated Press that all officials were on stage and not available. She sent questions to the mayor’s office.
A spokesman for the mayor’s office to comment could not be contacted.
The owners of Jet Set, who issued a statement saying that they were cooperating with the authorities, could not be contacted immediately to comment.
The relatives of the merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who acted when the roof collapsed, said he was previously rescued. But Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, said Tuesday afternoon that the information “turned out to be false.” He said the rescue teams were still looking for Pérez.
Meanwhile, the singer’s manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was dotted with blood, said the group’s saxophonist died.
The Baseball Professional League of the Dominican Republic published in X that former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel deceased. The authorities had previously rescued Dotel de the rubble and transported it to a hospital. He was also killed the Dominican baseball player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, said Satosky Terrero, league spokesman.
It is an iconic nightclub in the south of Santo Domingo that has operated for almost five decades. He was known for his “Jet Set Mondays” presented by local and international artists.
The club opened in 1973 as a club and restaurant, becoming the most popular place of its kind in the Dominican Republic, according to Listín Diario, a local newspaper.
He later moved from the place where he was originally inaugurated, celebrating his first anniversary with the Merengue icon and the Johnny Ventura sauce.
The club underwent renovations in 2010 and 2015, and was reached by lightning in 2023, according to the newspaper.
The general admission tickets for Monday’s concert with Rubby Pérez were $ 32, while the VIPs cost $ 40, according to the club’s website.
The rescue teams had to continue looking for survivors during the night.
While an in -depth investigation of collapse is expected, the authorities have not yet commented what could have caused the ceiling to fall, including the possible preliminary findings.
Prosecutor Rosalba Ramos told CDN television station that, although “everyone wants to know” what happened, the authorities still focused on finding survivors.
