Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - At least 98 people have
d!ed and several were injured after a roof fell at a nightclub in the
capital of the Dominican Republic early on Tuesday, April 8, authorities
said.
Crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble
at Jet Set in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Mendez, 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.
Meanwhile, the injured include 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," Paulino said, adding that he initially thought it was an earthquake.
President Luis Abinader wrote on X that all rescue agencies
are "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 wrote.
Abinader arrived at the scene and hugged those looking for
friends and family, some with tears streaming down their faces.
An official with a megaphone stood outside the club
imploring the large crowd that had gathered to search for friends and relatives
to give ambulances space.
"You have to co-operate 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 yelled out the names of their
loved ones.
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the roof to
collapse.
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