A tragic incident at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo killed around 184 people after its roof collapsed during a celebratory event. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening in the middle of an orchestra performance that hosted 300 people. The artist, Rubby Perez unfortunately lost his life in the devastating event.
Roof collapses at nightclub
For the past 2 days, anxious families have camped outside the nightclub hoping to receive good news about their loved ones. However, according to emergency services, the chances of survival of the remaining individuals still trapped under rubble have largely slimmed. Dominican Republic’s emergency services leader, Juan Manuel Menendez assured the public that officials are doing their best to recover everyone. He also assured them that they would keep looking until they have “combed through everyone.”
“We will be here until we have recovered everyone, dead or alive,” Menendez said in a press conference. He further guaranteed that rescuers are “not going to abandon anyone”.
The lives lost in the incident
The nightclub was full of famous artists including musicians, athletes, and government officials. Former Baseball athlete, Octavio Dotel was in attendance and lost his life on the way to the hospital after being recovered from the building. Another former league player, Tony Blanco died on the spot. His death was confirmed by the Dominican Sports Ministry who offered their condolences to the player’s family.
President of the country, Luis Abinader announced the death of the governor of the province of Monte Cristi, Nesly Cruz. The president attended the funeral of Cruz which was packed with people. Nelsy is the sister of the famous MLB star player, Nelson Cruz. After the funeral service, President Abinader offered his condolences saying, “We are left to mourn her and the other victims.”
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A former baseball player, Perdro Martinez announced on Instagram that some of his family members who attended the club are currently missing. He offered his heartfelt sympathy and wrote, “We are sad and affected by the tragedy.”
Public Works Minister, Eduardo Estrella’s son is also reported missing and is presumed dead. However, officials still hold hope and are continuing their efforts to recover him from the rubble.
Survivor’s account
A survivor named Zulinka shared that she successfully made it out because of her husband who protected her by covering Zulinka with his body and asked her to leave immediately after to help their child who was already out. She stated that her husband also thankfully survived but got injured during the process.
First Lady, Raquel Arbaje commended the efforts of Governor Nesly Cruz who passed away in the tragedy. She revealed that while still trapped under the rubble, Cruz managed to call President Abinader asking him to send emergency officials as soon as possible. Arbaje stated, “The president started mobilizing all the organizations.”
In an interview with CNN, another survivor named Jenniré Mena shared that she went to the nightclub to celebrate her 40th birthday with two friends. However, her celebration ended in a disaster after one of her friends died and another got stuck under debris. Mena revealed that she and her friend were stuck together for hours before finally being rescued. She described her scary experience being stuck stating that the two comforted each other and got through the tragedy together.
Although she got seriously injured, Mena was deeply appreciative to have survived. She said, “I’m grateful to be alive, feeling a lot of pain, but grateful to have the opportunity to feel this pain.”
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Ongoing recovery efforts
As of yet, the death toll is announced to be 184 however, the number is expected to be increased. On Wednesday, the emergency services officials announced the identities of the 54 victims who passed away. They shared that 28 dead bodies have been received by the families and added that there were still 33 bodies who were still unidentified. He stated more information is to be released soon.
Around 150 individuals are reported to be injured with 8 in serious condition, fighting for their life in the hospital.
The nightclub, in its official statement, announced that they are currently investigating what led to the collapse of the roof leading to such a disaster. They further stated that they are fully cooperating with the authorities.
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