The death toll from a roof collapse at a popular Dominican Republic nightclub has climbed to at least 124, authorities said Wednesday as they continued the search for survivors.
More than 300 people were inside Jet Set in the capital city of Santo Domingo when the roof collapsed just before 1 a.m. Tuesday. Many remained unaccounted for as the search and rescue operation continued.
Merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was performing when tragedy struck, was among the dead, according to emergency operations director Juan Manuel Mendez. Perez’s body was found early Wednesday, Mendez said.
Officials said 145 people had been rescued alive from the rubble. So far, 54 of the confirmed 124 deceased victims have been identified. For many waiting desperately for news of their loved ones, that was not enough.
“We cannot wait until nighttime!” one woman shouted Wednesday as more victims were publicly identified. “We’re going to go crazy!”
Jet Set was known for merengue concerts on Mondays, and the club was packed with politicians, athletes and musicians when the roof collapsed. Also among the dead were former Yankees and Mets pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican star Tony Blanco, who played briefly for the Washington Nationals.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Monte Cristi province and sister of ex-MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz, was also killed in the collapse. Nelsy Cruz was the one who called President Luis Abinader from the rubble to let him know about the disaster.
Other victims included saxophone player Luis Solis, who was also performing, and New York-based fashion designer Martin Polanco. Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez said late Tuesday some of his relatives were in attendance and still missing.
“Our hearts are with you, and we all are affected,” Martinez said in an Instagram video. “I still have family members that are still in the [rubble], and we don’t know what happened to them, but we just want to be strong like we have always been.”
Investigators are still unsure what caused the roof to collapse. Videos shared online showed dust falling from the ceiling just minutes before the entire structure came falling down. Club owners said they were cooperating with the official investigation. However, the immediate priority on Wednesday remained search and rescue.
With News Wire Services
