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Nearly 100 dead in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse
Nearly 100 dead in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse
by AFP Staff Writers
Santo Domingo (AFP) April 9, 2025

Rescuers raced to find survivors early Wednesday after the roof of a Dominican Republic nightclub collapsed during a concert by popular singer Rubby Perez, one of nearly 100 people killed in the disaster.

Rescue workers were pressing on with the search effort, which more than 24 hours after the roof caved in began to be limited more to recovering bodies.

Renowned Dominican merengue singer Perez, who was on stage at the popular Jet Set nightclub when the roof collapsed shortly after midnight Tuesday, was one of those killed, according to his manager.

"We are waiting for the children to reach an agreement for the funeral," Perez's manager Enrique Paulino told AFP.

About 370 rescue personnel combed mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets for survivors.

Also among the dead was 51-year-old retired Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, who won a World Series in 2011 with the St Louis Cardinals.

He was rescued alive but died of his injuries while being taken to hospital, local media reported.

A black-and-white photo of the player and images of the Dominican flag were projected onto the scoreboard at Citi Field in New York before Tuesday's game between the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins.

"Peace to his soul," the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League wrote on social media.

Local media said there were between 500 and 1,000 people in the club when disaster struck at around 12:44 am (0444 GMT) Tuesday. The club has capacity for 700 people seated and about 1,000 people standing.

Dozens of ambulances ferried the injured to hospital, as scores of people gathered outside the venue desperately seeking news of their loved ones.

Perez was on stage when there was a blackout and the roof came crashing down, according to eyewitness reports.

Perez's daughter Zulinka told reporters she had managed to escape after the roof collapsed, but he did not.

Also among the dead was the governor of the Monte Cristi municipality, Nelsy Cruz, according to President Luis Abinader.

The president visited the scene and declared three days of national mourning.

The death toll started at 15 and kept rising throughout Tuesday. By early Wednesday, the preliminary toll had reached 98, said Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Center.

"As long as there is hope for life, all authorities will be working to recover or rescue these people," he said earlier.

- 'We are desperate' -

Iris Pena, a woman who had attended the show, told SIN television how she escaped with her son.

"At one point, dirt started falling like dust into the drink on the table," she said.

"A stone fell and cracked the table where we were, and we got out," Pena recounted. "The impact was so strong, as if it had been a tsunami or an earthquake."

Dozens of family members flocked to hospitals for news.

"We are desperate," Regina del Rosa, whose sister was at the concert, told SIN. "They are not giving us news, they are not telling us anything."

Helicopter images revealed a large hole where the club's roof once was. A crane was helping lift some of the heavier rubble as men in hard hats dug through the debris.

Authorities have issued a call for Dominicans to donate blood.

The Instagram page of the Jet Set club said it has been in operation for more than 50 years, with shows every Monday until the early hours.

Its last post before Monday's event invited fans to come and "enjoy his (Perez's) greatest hits and dance in the country's best nightclub."

On Tuesday, the club issued a statement saying it was working "fully and transparently" with authorities.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, received over 11 million visitors in 2024, according to the tourism ministry.

Tourism generates about 15 percent of GDP, with visitors attracted by its music and nightlife, Caribbean beaches, as well as the colonial architecture of the capital Santo Domingo.

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