Rescue workers on Tuesday are desperately searching to find survivors after the roof of a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed, killing at least 79 people, including politicians and ex-athletes, officials said. More than 150 people were taken to hospitals via ambulance after the stunning incident around 1 a.m. at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, according to an Instagram post from the national police. Search and rescue operations to find people in the rubble continued Tuesday in the National District, Juan Manuel Méndez, the director of the Emergency Operations Center, told reporters.
“The loss of life leaves us in a state of profound pain and dismay,” said a statement from Jet Set. “In this difficult moment, our prayers are with each of the affected families. We share their pain as if it were our own, because we are also in mourning.” President Luis Abinader traveled to the site Tuesday to supervise the rescue efforts and offer his condolences to the victims, footage shared by police shows. The president also declared three national days of mourning in the country and called for flags to be flown at half-mast. In an update Tuesday night, Méndez, the director of the Emergency Operations Center, told reporters that the death toll had climbed to 79.
Merengue singer Rubby Pérez performed at the nightclub
Dominican merengue singer Rubby Pérez performed at the club Monday night, Instagram posts from the club showed. He was among those believed to have been killed, according to multiple reports The singer’s manager, Enrique Paulino, told reporters at the scene that the roof collapsed almost an hour after the performance began, and the group’s saxophonist was killed, The Associated Press reported. USA TODAY has reached out to Paulino for comment. Pérez’s brother is a former Major League Baseball player, and other former players were in the crowd before the collapse, according to sports agent Paul Kinzer. “It’s where all the players go, all the big acts go,” Kinzer told USA TODAY of Jet Set.
‘We’re holding on only to God’
Crowds grew outside of the club as people tried to search for their own friends and relatives in the destruction. Several of those loved ones told news outlets they were stunned and praying in the face of the tragedy. Manuel Olivo Ortiz, whose son went to the nightclub but who had not returned home as of Tuesday afternoon, told the AP as he waited outside the club “We’re holding on only to God.” At one hospital serving the injured, officials were heard reading the names of survivors out loud, the outlet reported. People gathered around and yelled the names of their loved ones still missing and asked about their whereabouts. Massiel Cuevas, the godmother of a 22-year-old woman who also went to the club, told the AP she was also seeking any update on Tuesday. “I’m waiting for her. She’s in there, I know she’s in there,” Cuevas said.
Two former MLB players among those killed
Octavio Dotel was a Santo Domingo native who played for 13 MLB teams over 15 seasons after debuting with the New York Mets in 1999. He died Tuesday at the age of 51 from injuries sustained when the roof collapsed, officials said. After his MLB debut, Dotel was traded to the Houston Astros, where he spent five years developing into one of the National League’s top setup men. He continued to pitch effectively into his late 30s, finally winning a World Series ring with the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. He returned to the World Series the following season with the Detroit Tigers, pitching five scoreless innings over six postseason appearances before the Tigers fell to the San Francisco Giants in the Fall Classic. Kinzer told USA TODAY his client, former MLB player Esteban Germán, left the club not long before the roof collapsed. Kinzer said he also represents former MLB player Neifi Pérez, who was not at the club when his brother, Rubby Pérez, was performing.
Kinzer said he’s been trying to contact Neifi Pérez’s brother and other players to find out who else was at the club and whether they were injured. The collapse also claimed the life of former major league player Tony Blanco, 43, who appeared in 56 games for the Washington Nationals in 2005. He also played in minor league baseball in the U.S. for eight years and later played in Japan. The San Juan de la Maguana native was also the father of Tony Blanco Jr., who is a prospect with the Pittsburgh Pirates. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred responded to the tragedy in a statement. “Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo,” Manfred said. “The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today.”
Area governor among the dead
Abinader said the dead included Nelsy Cruz, sister of former MLB player Nelson Cruz and governor of the northern Monte Cristi province. Nelson Cruz said on social media that the remains of his sister will be displayed at the Provincial Government of Montecristi and a funeral will be held later Tuesday. “Our city wakes up to a terrible tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. My deepest sympathy goes out to the families still waiting for news of their loved ones,” Santo Domingo Mayor Carolina Mejía de Garrigó said in a statement on X.
