Roof collapse at Dominican membership kills not less than 113 as officers scramble to determine victims

Police cordon off the realm as rescue staff seek for survivors on the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed throughout a merengue live performance in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
| Picture Credit score: AP

The legendary Jet Set membership in Santo Domingo was filled with musicians, skilled athletes and authorities officers when mud started falling from the ceiling and into folks’s drinks.

Minutes later, the complete roof collapsed. Concrete slabs killed greater than 113 folks and trapped dozens of others on a dance ground the place a whole lot had been dancing to a energetic merengue live performance early Tuesday. Greater than 255 folks had been injured, authorities mentioned.

The victims embrace merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the group earlier than catastrophe struck. His physique was discovered early Wednesday, mentioned emergency operations director Juan Manuel Méndez.

Rescue crews had been nonetheless looking for potential survivors greater than 24 hours after the collapse. “So long as they report that there’s a lacking particular person, we might be right here,” Méndez mentioned.

Rescue crews from Puerto Rico and Israel arrived within the Dominican Republic on Wednesday to assist native authorities with the search.

Late Tuesday evening, these nonetheless on the lookout for their household and buddies gathered round a person enjoying a guitar outdoors the membership as they sang hymns.

To this point, solely 32 folks have been recognized in one of many worst disasters to hit the Dominican Republic. Native media reported that those that died embrace a heart specialist, a authorities architect, a retired police officer and the brother of the vice minister of the Ministry of Youth.

Additionally killed had been MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican participant Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, Satosky Terrero, spokesman for the nation’s Skilled Baseball League, informed The Related Press.

Nelsy Cruz, the Governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Main League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, alerted President Luis Abinader in regards to the catastrophe. She known as him from beneath the rubble however died later at a hospital.

Different victims embrace saxophonist Luis Solís, who was enjoying onstage when the roof fell, a number of Venezuelan bartenders and an Military captain who left behind 4 younger women. Grupo Standard, a monetary companies firm, mentioned three of its staff additionally died, together with the president of AFP Standard Financial institution and his spouse.

However numerous extra remained unidentified.

“I’ve been to many hospitals, and I’ve not discovered her,” mentioned Deysi Suriel of her pal, 61-year-old Milca Curiel. Suriel lives in North Carolina and was vacationing within the Dominican Republic.

Dozens of frantic kin crowded on the nation’s Nationwide Institute of Forensic Pathology, scanning a listing of the sufferer’s names whereas others went from hospital to hospital on the lookout for their family members, some clutching footage of them.

“There’s lots of ache,” mentioned Senator Daniel Rivera, the nation’s former public well being minister. “We have to have lots of persistence.”

Amongst these looking for their kin was Kimberly Jones, whose godson, 45-year-old artist Osiris Blanc, and his buddies had been lacking.

“It was their favourite place, they went there nearly each Monday,” Jones mentioned, including that her niece additionally was lacking.

It wasn’t instantly clear what precipitated the roof to break down, or when the Jet Set constructing was final inspected.

The membership issued an announcement saying it was cooperating with authorities. A spokeswoman for the household who owns the membership informed The Related Press that she handed alongside questions on potential inspections.

In the meantime, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works referred inquiries to the mayor’s workplace. A spokesperson for the mayor’s workplace didn’t reply to a message for remark.