At least 98 dead in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse

The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, April 8, when the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed during a performance by Dominican merengue singer Rubby Perez, who died after being trapped under the rubble. The singer was on stage at the time of the collapse, which crushed more than 100 people.

The collapse of the roof of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, left at least 98 dead and more than 160 injured, according to the latest update released Wednesday, as rescue services work against the clock to find survivors.

The disaster occurred at 00:44 a.m. local time in the middle of a concert by popular Dominican singer Rubby Perez, who was found dead after intense hours of search and rescue.

The roof of the Jet Set nightclub, known for hosting merengue parties every Monday that attracted national and international artists, as well as well-known Dominican personalities, reportedly collapsed minutes after the merengue singer began his midnight performance. He and his band noticed that an object had fallen from the ceiling to the other end of the stage.

Minutes later, after some were filming with their cell phones in the direction where the roof had collapsed, it collapsed, leaving at least 98 people dead and more than 160 injured, with others trapped under the rubble. The final seconds of the disaster were captured in videos posted on social media, showing parts of the roof beginning to collapse as people fled, but the roof collapsed completely in an instant.

Rubby Perez and his musicians were on stage at the time of the impact, which instantly killed the band's saxophonist, while the others were trapped under the collapsed ceiling.

While at least 370 rescuers are working in the area, authorities confirmed the sad news to the family. "We have confirmed the recovery of the body of merengue singer Rubby Pérez," reported a journalist from the local channel Noticias SIN. According to the same outlet, the artist's daughter had to seek emergency medical attention due to the emotional impact of the news. Previously, Zulinka Pérez asked her fans to pray for him.

In a video circulating online, we can see the moment she receives the news and reacts with cries of despair and disbelief, while being hugged and held by her family, but unable to stand.

"This is so sad and terrible. I can't believe it. I feel so bad," said Dominican reporter Gelena Solano, a close friend of Rubby Pérez, through tears. He regularly interviewed her for the Univision program El Gordo y la Flaca whenever the Dominican visited New York.

Among the victims of the accident was Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, who died. According to authorities, the player was rescued from the wreckage and taken to a hospital, but sadly died on the way. Dominican baseball player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera also passed away, according to a post on the X platform by Satosky Terrero, spokesman for the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League.

Nelsy Cruz, governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, was among the victims. She had called Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader at 00:49 a.m. to inform him that she was trapped and that the roof had collapsed, first lady Raquel Abraje told reporters. Authorities reported that Cruz later died in the hospital. Another fatality was renowned designer Martin Polanco.

Rubby Perez was 69 years old, and among his achievements was standing out as one of the vocal musicians in Wilfrido Vargas' band, launching himself as a soloist, and later becoming one of the leading representatives of the mereguero genre in the Dominican Republic.

Approximately 30 bodies have already been identified and are being released to their families. So far, 155 bodies have been taken to medical centers, and ambulances may have transported one or more people. Meanwhile, citizens are flocking to various locations to donate blood following the tragedy, which prompted Dominican President Luis Abinader to declare three days of official mourning.