Roof collapse at Dominican club kills at least 113 as officials scramble to identify victims
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The legendary Jet Set club in Santo Domingo was packed with musicians, professional athletes and government officials when dust began falling from the ceiling and into people’s drinks.
Minutes later, the entire roof collapsed. Concrete slabs killed more than 113 people and trapped dozens of others on a dancefloor where hundreds had been dancing to a lively merengue concert early Tuesday. More than 255 people were injured, authorities said.
The victims include merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the crowd before disaster struck, said emergency operations director Juan Manuel Méndez.
Rescue crews were still searching for potential survivors on Wednesday, more than 24 hours after the collapse.
“We’re going to search tirelessly for people,” Méndez said.
Late Tuesday night, those still looking for their family and friends gathered around a man playing a guitar outside the club as they sang hymns.
So far, only 32 people have been identified in one of the worst disasters to hit the Dominican Republic. Local media reported that those who died include a cardiologist, a government architect, a retired police officer and the brother of the vice minister of the Ministry of Youth.
Also killed was MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, Satosky Terrero, spokesman for the country’s Professional Baseball League, told The Associated Press.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, alerted President Luis Abinader about the disaster. She called him from underneath the rubble but died later at a hospital.
Other victims include saxophonist Luis Solís, who was playing onstage when the roof fell, several Venezuelan bartenders and an Army captain who left behind four young girls. Grupo Popular, a financial services company, said three of its employees also died, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife.
But countless more remained unidentified.
“I have been to many hospitals, and I have not found her,” said Deysi Suriel of her friend, 61-year-old Milca Curiel. Suriel lives in North Carolina and was vacationing in the Dominican Republic.
Dozens of frantic relatives crowded at the country’s National Institute of Forensic Pathology, scanning a list of the victim’s names while others went from hospital to hospital looking for their loved ones, some clutching pictures of them.
“There’s a lot of pain,” said Senator Daniel Rivera, the country’s former public health minister. “We need to have a lot of patience.”
Among those searching for their relatives was Kimberly Jones, whose godson, 45-year-old artist Osiris Blanc, and his friends were missing.
“It was their favorite place, they went there almost every Monday,” Jones said, adding that her niece also was missing.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse, or when the Jet Set building was last inspected.
The club issued a statement saying it was cooperating with authorities. A spokeswoman for the family who owns the club told The Associated Press that she passed along questions about potential inspections.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works referred questions to the mayor’s office. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not respond to a message for comment.
___
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.