SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO (AP) – the roof of an emblematic nightclub in the Dominican capital collapsed during a Merengue concert this week, killing at least 221 people and injured over 200.
Officials said it was too early to determine why the roof fell. Rescue crews have stopped the search for survivors and moved to a phase focused on finding bodies. Dozens of people who have been waiting in the hospitals and the Institute of Forensics are finally receiving information about their loved ones.
What happened?
The roof collapsed nearly an hour after the start of Merengue’s concert, led by Ruby Perez at Jet Set, a club known for its parties on Monday night Merengue, which attracted international celebrities and high -profile Dominicans.
A video posted on social media shows parts of the roof fall and people begin to move away seconds before the entire roof collapses on them.
Nelsey Cruz, the governor of the Montecrist Province and the sister of the seven -time baseball baseball in the basic league Nelson Cruz, reports President of Dominican Luis Abinader for the disaster, calling him under the debris, according to the first lady Raquel Abraze. Officials said Nelsey Cruz had later died in hospital.
Why did the roof collapse?
Authorities say it is too early to determine the cause of the disaster. Firefighters removed blocks of broken concrete and created makeshift boards in an attempt to reach the survivors buried under the debris. More than 180 survivors have been rescued from the ruins.
It is unclear how often government officials check buildings in the Dominican Republic or when the jet kit is last checked.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Public Affairs directed the Associated Press at the Mayor for Comment. A spokesman for the mayoral service could not be reached.
The owners of Jet Set, who issued a statement saying they cooperate with the authorities, were also not available for comment.
Who are the victims?
Relatives of Merengue singer Ruby Perez, who introduced himself when the roof collapsed, initially said he was saved. But Juan Manuel Mendis, director of the Emergency Operations Center, said his body was found early Wednesday.
The singer’s manager, Enrique Paulino, said the group’s saxophonist also died.
The Dominican Republic’s Professional Baseball League has published on X that the former MLB Octavio Dotel owner has been withdrawn from debris but died in hospital. The Dominican baseball player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera was also killed, said league spokesman Satoski Terrero.
Other victims include a retired UN employee based in New York fashion designer Martin Polanko, an army captain who left four young girls, and three Grupo Popular officials, a financial services company, including AFP President Bank and his wife.
What is Jet Set?
The club in South Santo Domingo has been working for nearly five decades, with Jet Set Mondays with the participation of local and international artists of Merengue.
The club and the restaurant, which opened in 1973, is the most popular place of its kind in the Dominican Republic, according to the newspapers ListÃn Diario.
Later, he moved and celebrated his first anniversary to the new place with the Merengue and Salsa Johnny Ventura icon. The club underwent a renovation in 2010 and 2015 and was struck by Lightning in 2023, according to the newspaper.
Companted entrance tickets for the Monday concert with Ruby Perez were $ 32, while VIP was $ 40, according to the club’s website.
What is next?
The government announced late Wednesday that it was moving to a recovery phase after the rescue crews sought survives more than 24 hours after the collapse.
A thorough investigation is expected. Authorities have not released any preliminary findings or commented on what may have caused it.
Relatives were waiting at the National Forensics Institute as he worked to identify the victims, while others moved from hospital to hospital, looking for their loved ones, some squeezing photos.
Many wounded were in a critical or serious condition with broken bones.