Santo Domingo [Dominican Republic], April 9 (HBTV): Search and rescue operations are underway in Santo Domingo after the roof of a popular nightclub collapsed, killing at least 89 people, The New York Times (NYT) reported.
Heavy machinery and drones are being deployed in the large-scale rescue mission at the Jet Set nightclub. Despite ongoing efforts, the death toll continued to rise through Tuesday night as rescuers worked to locate survivors beneath the debris.
According to the NYT, the roof collapsed around 12:45 am (local time) during a concert at the club, which is famous for its long-running Monday night dance parties. The event had drawn several prominent figures from Dominican society, many of whom remained trapped in the rubble.
Among those killed or injured during the merengue concert were a provincial governor, a member of the Dominican Republic's congress, and two former Major League Baseball (MLB) players from the United States.
Antonio Espaillat, the club's owner, expressed his grief in a video posted on social media, saying, ‘There are not enough words to express the pain this event causes... What happened has been devastating for everyone.’
Authorities have not yet launched a formal investigation into the cause of the collapse, stating their current focus is on rescue operations. The Jet Set building, originally a movie theatre over 50 years old, had reportedly been damaged in a fire several years ago.
It remains unclear how many people were inside the nightclub at the time of the incident, but victims continued to be pulled from the wreckage — both alive and dead.
Jet Set, operational for five decades, is considered one of the most iconic nightclubs in the Dominican Republic and is especially known for its Monday shows.
Among the victims was Nelsy M. Cruz Martinez, Governor of the Monte Cristi province, located in the northwest of the country near the Haiti border. Octavio Dotel, 51, a former MLB pitcher, was rescued from the rubble but later died at a local hospital, the Dominican Republic’s Professional Baseball League confirmed. Another former MLB player, Tony Blanco, also died, according to a statement from the Major League Baseball commissioner.
Several members of the Dominican Congress were believed to have been present at the club, and multiple lawmakers visited the site. Authorities also reported that the son of the country’s Public Works Minister and his wife were still missing.
Carlos Mendoza Diaz, President of the Dominican Association of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors, said the building’s age and structural transformation from a cinema to a nightclub may have contributed to the collapse.
‘We have gathered information that it was not only a structure over 50 years old, built for a movie theater and later converted into a nightclub, and obviously these are different safety parameters,’ he said. ‘We also know that a fire occurred a few years ago, and perhaps the combination of these events could have caused the collapse.’
(ANI)