At least 27 people have died and more than 160 injured after a roof collapsed at a nightclub in the capital of the Dominican Republic early on Tuesday, the authorities said.
Crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble at Jet Set in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Méndez, the director of the Center of Emergency Operations.
“We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble,” he said.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi, was among the victims. The injured included the merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof collapsed, officials said.
His manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was spattered with blood, told reporters at the scene that the concert began shortly before midnight, with the roof collapsing almost an hour later, killing the group’s saxophonist.
“It happened so quickly. I managed to throw myself into a corner,” he said, adding that he initially thought it was an earthquake.
It was not immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse.
Manuel Olivo Ortiz, whose son attended the concert and is still missing, was among those anxiously waiting outside the club, which is known for its traditional parties held on Monday and where renowned national and international artists perform.
“We’re holding on only to God,” Olivo said.
The Dominican Republic’s president, Luis Abinader, wrote on X that all rescue agencies were “working tirelessly” to help those affected.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred,” he said.
Abinader arrived at the scene and hugged people looking for friends and family, some of them crying. He did not speak to reporters.
An official with a megaphone stood outside the club asking the large crowd that had gathered to search for friends and relatives to make room for ambulances.
“You have to cooperate with authorities, please,” he said. “We are removing people.”
At one hospital where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading aloud the names of survivors as a crowd gathered around her and shouted out the names of their loved ones.
Source: theguardian.com
