Roof collapse at Dominican Republic club kills at least 113 as search still on for survivors

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 9:24 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

The legendary Jet Set nine successful Santo Domingo was packed with musicians, nonrecreational athletes and authorities officials erstwhile particulate began falling from the ceiling and into people's drinks.

Minutes later, the full extortion collapsed. Concrete slabs killed astatine least 113 radical and trapped dozens of others connected a creation level wherever hundreds had been dancing to a lively merengue performance aboriginal Tuesday. More than 255 radical were injured, authorities said.

The victims see merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the assemblage earlier catastrophe struck. His assemblage was recovered aboriginal Wednesday, said exigency operations manager Juan Manuel Méndez.

Rescue crews were inactive searching for imaginable survivors much than 24 hours aft the collapse.

"As agelong arsenic they study that determination is simply a missing person, we volition beryllium here," Méndez said.

Rescue crews from Puerto Rico and Israel arrived successful the Dominican Republic connected Wednesday to assistance section authorities with the search.

Late Tuesday night, those inactive looking for their household and friends gathered astir a antheral playing a guitar extracurricular the nine arsenic they sang hymns.

Only 32 radical identified truthful far

So far, lone 32 radical person been identified successful 1 of the worst disasters to deed the Dominican Republic. Local media reported that those who died see a cardiologist, a authorities architect, a retired constabulary serviceman and the member of the vice curate of the Ministry of Youth.

Also killed was MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican subordinate Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, Satosky Terrero, spokesperson for the country's Professional Baseball League, told The Associated Press.

Nelsy Cruz, the politician of the northwestern state of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, alerted President Luis Abinader astir the disaster. She called him from underneath the rubble but died aboriginal astatine a hospital.

WATCH | Rescue workers hunt for survivors Tuesday:

Other victims see saxophonist Luis Solís, who was playing onstage erstwhile the extortion fell, respective Venezuelan bartenders and an service skipper who near down 4 young daughters. Grupo Popular, a fiscal services company, said 3 of its employees besides died, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife.

But countless much remained unidentified.

"I person been to galore hospitals, and I person not recovered her," said Deysi Suriel of her friend, 61-year-old Milca Curiel. Suriel lives successful North Carolina and was vacationing successful the Dominican Republic.

'There's a batch of pain'

Dozens of frantic relatives crowded astatine the country's National Institute of Forensic Pathology, scanning a database of the victim's names portion others went from infirmary to infirmary looking for their loved ones, immoderate clutching pictures of them.

"There's a batch of pain," said Senator Daniel Rivera, the country's erstwhile nationalist wellness minister. "We request to person a batch of patience."

Among those searching for their relatives was Kimberly Jones, whose godson, 45-year-old creator Osiris Blanc, and his friends were missing.

"It was their favourite place, they went determination astir each Monday," Jones said, adding that her niece besides was missing.

It wasn't instantly wide what caused the extortion to collapse or erstwhile the Jet Set gathering was past inspected.

The nine issued a connection saying it was co-operating with authorities. A spokeswoman for the household who owns the nine told The Associated Press that she passed on questions astir imaginable inspections.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works referred questions to the mayor's office. A spokesperson for the mayor's bureau did not respond to a connection for comment.