The rescuers ran to find early survivors on Wednesday after the roof of a nightclub of the Dominican Republic collapsed during a concert by the popular singer Rubby Pérez, one of the almost 100 people killed in the disaster, AFP information.
Rescue workers were pressing with the search effort, which more than 24 hours after the ceiling collapsed began to limit more to the bodies in recovery.
The renowned Dominican singer of Merengue, Pérez, who was on stage at the popular Jet Set nightclub when the ceiling collapsed shortly after midnight on Tuesday, was one of those killed, according to his manager.
“We are waiting for children to reach an agreement for the funeral,” said Pérez’s manager Enrique Paulino AFP.
Around 370 rescue personnel combed mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets for survivors.
Also among the dead was the launcher of the major leagues withdrawn of 51 years Octavio Dotel, who won a world series in 2011 with the Cardinals of San Luis. He was rescued alive but died from his wounds while they took him to the hospital, local media reported.
A black and white photo of the player and images of the Dominican flag was screened on the score on Citi Field in New York before Tuesday’s match between the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins.
“Paz to his soul,” wrote the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic on social networks.
Local media said there were between 500 and 1,000 people in the club when the disaster hit around 12:44 am (9:44 am pkt) on Tuesday. The club has a capacity for 700 people sitting and around 1,000 people standing.
Dozens of ambulances transported the wounded to the hospital, since dozens of people gathered outside the place who desperately sought news of their loved ones. Pérez was on stage when there was a blackout and the roof collapsed, according to reports of eye witnesses.
Pérez’s daughter, Zulinka, told journalists that she had escaped after the roof collapsed, but did not.
Also among the dead was the governor of the municipality of Monte Cristi, Nelsy Cruz, according to President Luis Abinader.
The president visited the scene and declared three days of national mourning. The death toll began at 15 and continued to increase throughout Tuesday. In the morning, the preliminary toll had reached 98, said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center.
“As long as there is hope for life, all authorities will be working to recover or rescue these people,” he said before.
‘We are desperate’
Iris Pena, a woman who had attended the show, told her Sin television How he escaped with his son.
“At one time, the earth began to fall as dust on the drink on the table,” he said.
“A stone fell and broke the table where we were, and we left,” he said.
“The impact was as strong, as if it had been a tsunami or an earthquake.”
Dozens of family members went to hospitals to receive news.
“We are desperate,” said Regina del Rosa, whose sister was at the concert SIN. “They are not giving us news, they tell us nothing.”
The helicopter images revealed a large hole where the club’s roof was once. A crane was helping to lift some of the heaviest rubble while men with helmets dug into the debris.
The authorities have issued a call for Dominicans to donate blood.
The Instagram page of the Jet Set Club said it has been in operation for more than 50 years, with programs every Monday until the early hours.
His last publication before Monday invited fans to come and “enjoy their best hits and dance (de Pérez) in the best nightclub in the country.”
On Tuesday, the club issued a statement by saying that it was working “completely and transparently” with the authorities.
The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, received more than 11 million visitors in 2024, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
Tourism generates about 15 percent of GDP, with visitors attracted to its music and nightlife, beaches of the Caribbean, as well as the colonial architecture of the capital Santo Domingo.
