Rescue workers are racing to reach around 100 people still trapped under rubble after the roof of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed during a busy musical performance in the early hours of Tuesday, killing at least 49 and injuring dozens more.
At least 146 people have so far been pulled alive from the debris of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the country’s capital, said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center. When the roof collapsed, at least 300 people were inside the venue, he added.
Families of the missing gathered at the scene and shared pictures of their loved ones, as more than 150 ambulances rushed the injured to hospital. Personnel from at least 22 public institutions are at the site helping with response efforts, officials said.
Authorities have so far identified 32 of the 49 people killed, according to the Dominican Republic’s Deputy Minister of Health José Antonio Matos.
The cause of the collapse is not yet known.
Aerial footage from local news outlets on Tuesday morning showed the venue with a wide, gaping hole in the middle of the building where the audience would have been located during the performance.
Among the dead was Nelsy Cruz, governor of the Monte Cristi province, Dominican President Luis Abinader said. Cruz was related to MLB all-star Nelson Cruz, according a statement from his family mourning her death.
The roof caved in at around 1 a.m. local time while merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra were performing on stage, authorities said.
Footage from inside the venue appears to show the moment the crisis unfolded.
One video shows the band performing while someone near the stage points out that something had fallen in the back of the club. Moments later, pendant lights suspended from the ceiling start to collapse, along with the entire roof overhead. Screams and crashing sounds can be heard for a few seconds before the video goes dark.
Pérez’s daughter told local media that her father survived the collapse. She said rescue workers found him singing under the rubble. “He started to sing so they could hear him,” she said.
Former MLB pitcher and World Series champion Octavio Dotel was also found alive and taken to a hospital for treatment, Méndez said. Meanwhile, the son of Public Works Minister Eduardo Estrella is among the missing, Méndez added.
Abinader has declared three days of mourning following the disaster. He traveled to the nightclub later Tuesday morning with his wife, First Lady Raquel Arbaje, to express their condolences to the victims.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub,” Abinader wrote on X. “All rescue agencies have provided the necessary assistance and are working tirelessly in the rescue efforts. Our prayers are with the affected families.”
Carolina Mejía de Garrigó, the city’s mayor, said Santo Domingo was waking “to a terrible tragedy,” offering her condolences to families “still waiting for news of their loved ones.”
The Jet Set nightclub is one of the Caribbean nation’s most famous venues, and its Monday night events are especially well attended.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Source: edition.cnn.com
