A devastating roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, has claimed the lives of at least 79 people, leaving the nation in shock. Emergency crews worked into the night on Tuesday, racing to rescue survivors trapped beneath the rubble.
An estimated 155 individuals were injured in the catastrophe, and the search for victims continued well into the evening.
Families of those missing gathered anxiously near the nightclub, desperate for news. Among them was former Major League Baseball star Pedro Martinez, who shared his anguish in a video posted on Instagram. “I still have family members in the rubble, and we don’t know what happened to them,” he said.
Authorities confirmed that the deceased included a number of high-profile figures: Rubby Pérez, a beloved merengue singer who was performing at the time of the collapse; Nelsy Cruz, governor of Monte Cristi province and sister of former MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz; and former MLB pitchers Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco.
Dotel, 51, who began his career with the New York Mets in 1999 and played for over a dozen teams until his retirement in 2013, died after being pulled from the debris and transported to a nearby hospital. “Thinking about our people in the Dominican Republic,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza in a press conference following the tragedy.
President Luis Abinader expressed his condolences and pledged full government support in the aftermath. Emergency Operations Center head Juan Manuel Méndez noted that the exact number of people inside the club at the time of the collapse remains unknown.
Presidential spokesperson Homero Figueroa announced that additional heavy machinery was being deployed to speed up rescue and recovery operations. “We are doing everything we can to clear debris and find survivors,” he said.
The concert, featuring Rubby Pérez, had drawn an audience filled with politicians, athletes, and public figures, turning what was meant to be a celebration into a national tragedy.
The government is providing psychological support for grieving families, and an official investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collapse. As rescue efforts continue, the country mourns the loss of some of its most cherished voices and citizens.
