Early Tuesday morning, the roof of Dominican Republic club Jet Set collapsed killing at least 124 and causing 155 to be rushed to the hospital. The cause of the collapse remains unknown at this point in time.
There were at least 500 people inside the venue, but as emergency responders continue to search thoroughly through the debris for more victims that number may increase. According to the head of Emergency Operations Juan Manuel Méndez, they have about “24 to 36 hours left” to find any survivors beneath the rubble.
The club goers were attending a concert by the famous and beloved merengue singer Rubby Pérez. Sadly, Pérez along with his band’s saxophonist were killed in the tragedy. Pérez was trapped for 16 hours before he was found but rescue workers were unfortunately too late to save him. “They found him singing, he started to sing so they would hear him,” said his daughter Zulinka Pérez to the local media.
The governor of the Montecristi province Nelsy Cruz was another one of the victims who lost her life. While trapped under the rubble she called the president of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader asking him to send emergency services to save herself along with the others stuck. “All relief agencies have provided the necessary assistance and are working tirelessly in the rescue efforts. Our prayers are with the affected families,” said Abinader on social media.
Two former major league baseball players, Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, also lost their lives in the incident. “We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family. The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today,” said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement.
Video footage prior to and during the tragedy were posted online. According to the BBC, there’s a video that includes a club goer noticing “something fell from the ceiling” before a loud noise followed by the screen fading to black.
