Greater than 24 hours after the roof collapsed, rescue crews are nonetheless in search of survivors within the wreckage of the packed music venue.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The legendary Jet Set membership in Santo Domingo was filled with musicians, skilled athletes and authorities officers when mud started falling from the ceiling and into individuals’s drinks.
Minutes later, all the roof collapsed. Concrete slabs killed greater than 113 individuals and trapped dozens of others on a dancefloor the place tons of had been dancing to a full of life merengue live performance early Tuesday. Greater than 255 individuals had been injured, authorities mentioned.
The victims embrace merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the gang earlier than catastrophe struck, mentioned emergency operations director Juan Manuel Méndez.
Rescue crews had been nonetheless looking for potential survivors on Wednesday, greater than 24 hours after the collapse.
“We’re going to look tirelessly for individuals,” Méndez mentioned.
Late Tuesday evening, these nonetheless in search of their household and mates gathered round a person taking part in a guitar outdoors the membership as they sang hymns.
Up to now, solely 32 individuals have been recognized in one of many worst disasters to hit the Dominican Republic. Native media reported that those that died embrace a heart specialist, a authorities architect, a retired police officer and the brother of the vice minister of the Ministry of Youth.
Additionally killed was MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican participant Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, Satosky Terrero, spokesman for the nation’s Skilled Baseball League, instructed The Related Press.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Main League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, alerted President Luis Abinader in regards to the catastrophe. She referred to as him from beneath the rubble however died later at a hospital.
Different victims embrace saxophonist Luis Solís, who was taking part in onstage when the roof fell, a number of Venezuelan bartenders and an Military captain who left behind 4 younger women. Grupo Fashionable, a monetary companies firm, mentioned three of its staff additionally died, together with the president of AFP Fashionable Financial institution and his spouse.
However numerous extra remained unidentified.
“I’ve been to many hospitals, and I’ve not discovered her,” mentioned Deysi Suriel of her buddy, 61-year-old Milca Curiel. Suriel lives in North Carolina and was vacationing within the Dominican Republic.
Dozens of frantic relations crowded on the nation’s Nationwide Institute of Forensic Pathology, scanning an inventory of the sufferer’s names whereas others went from hospital to hospital in search of their family members, some clutching photos of them.
“There’s plenty of ache,” mentioned Senator Daniel Rivera, the nation’s former public well being minister. “We have to have plenty of persistence.”
Amongst these looking for their relations was Kimberly Jones, whose godson, 45-year-old artist Osiris Blanc, and his mates had been lacking.
“It was their favourite place, they went there nearly each Monday,” Jones mentioned, including that her niece additionally was lacking.
It wasn’t instantly clear what triggered the roof to break down, or when the Jet Set constructing was final inspected.
The membership issued a press release saying it was cooperating with authorities. A spokeswoman for the household who owns the membership instructed The Related Press that she handed alongside questions on potential inspections.
In the meantime, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works referred inquiries to the mayor’s workplace. A spokesperson for the mayor’s workplace didn’t reply to a message for remark.
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
