Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
Deadly Nightclub Roof Collapse in Dominican Republic Claims Dozens of Lives
A devastating nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic has resulted in the death of at least 44 individuals. The tragic incident at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo has also left over 150 people wounded, with rescue personnel persisting in their efforts to extricate individuals from the debris.
Search and Rescue Operations Underway
The cause of the catastrophe, which transpired in the early hours of Tuesday during a performance by celebrated merengue artist Rubby Pérez, remains under investigation. Approximately 400 search and rescue operatives have been dispatched to the site of the nightclub collapse.
Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Centre (COE), stated that emergency crews are still actively searching for survivors amid the wreckage. He further indicated that ambulances have conducted over 100 trips to local hospitals, frequently transporting multiple casualties per journey.
Despite the grim circumstances, Mr. Méndez expressed optimism that a number of those trapped beneath the fallen roof might still be alive.
Eyewitness and Video Accounts
Jet Set, a prominent nightclub in Santo Domingo, is a regular venue for dance music performances on Monday nights.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Video recordings, purportedly captured inside the venue, depict patrons seated at tables near the stage and others dancing to the music as Rubby Pérez performed.
In a separate mobile phone recording circulated on social media, a man positioned beside the stage can be heard remarking, “something fell from the ceiling,” while gesturing towards the roof. Singer Rubby Pérez also appears to notice the area indicated by the man in the video footage.
Less than half a minute afterwards, a loud noise is audible, and the recording abruptly cuts to black, accompanied by a woman’s cry, “Dad, what’s happened to you?”.
Band Member Recounts the Incident
A member of Rubby Pérez’s band informed local news outlets that the nightclub was at full capacity when the roof caved in at approximately 1:00 AM.
“I believed it was an earthquake,” the musician recounted, highlighting the sudden and forceful nature of the collapse.
Singer and Baseball Star Present at Collapse
Rubby Pérez’s daughter reported that her father was among those initially trapped in the aftermath. According to Pérez’s manager, Fernando Soto, speaking to Diario Libre newspaper, the singer was later located alive, though it remained unclear whether he had been taken to a medical facility.
Former Major League Baseball player Octavio Dotel, 51, was also reportedly inside the nightclub when the roof collapsed. Local media sources indicate he was extricated from the rubble; however, his condition and present whereabouts are yet to be confirmed.
National Response to Tragedy
Luis Abinader, the President of the Dominican Republic, has conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families impacted by this devastating nightclub disaster.