At least 98 deaths at party night in the Dominican Republic – Diepresse.com
The number of the dead after the disco roof collapsed in the club « Jet Set ». The search for buried continues. More than 155 people were injured. « The impact was as violent as if it had been a tsunami or an earthquake, » says an eyewitness.
The number of deaths in the collapse of the roof of a discotheque in the Dominican Republic has said to have increased to at least 98 people. This announced emergency service manager Juan Manuel Méndez in early Wednesday morning. More than 150 other people were injured in the accident in the capital Santo Domingo on Tuesday night. Rescue workers continued to look for dozens of missing people in the ruins.
Merengue star Rubby Pérez and baseball star Octavio Dotel among the dead
According to media reports, the roof suddenly collapsed in the club during an appearance by the well-known Merengue singer Rubby Pérez. The fate of the 69-year-old singer was unclear for a long time: While daughter Zulinka Peréz initially explained that her father had survived, the manager of the singer later confirmed his death.
According to media reports, the Dominican baseball player Octavio Dotel was also among the dead. He had therefore been recovered from the ruins, but succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital.
« /> People in front of the Club « Jet Set » collapsed on April 8th. APA / AFP / Dionisio Soldivila
« It happened all of a sudden. I thought there was an earthquake, so I threw myself on the floor and covered my head, » said the singer’s manager, Enrique Paulino. « One of our saxophonists is dead. We tried to get to Rubby, but the debris there were too big, » he reported.
The eyewitness Iris Peña reported in the Dominican television station Sin that she and her son saved herself out of the building in good time. At first, cleaning from the ceiling « how dust fell into the drink on the table », Peña reported. Then a stone crashed into the table. « The impact was as violent as if it had been a tsunami or an earthquake, » said the woman.
« /> The picture published by « Prensa Servicio 911 » shows an aerial view of people who gathered in front of the club after the collapse of the roof of the night club « Jet Set » in Santo Domingo on April 8, 2025. APA / AFP / –
Huge hole in roof
The authorities initially did not provide any information about how many people had stayed on the night club at the time of the accident. In media reports, there was talk of 500 to 1,000 guests. More than 370 helpers took part in the search for the spilled. As could be seen on aerial photographs of Dominican media, a huge hole gaped in the roof of the disco.
« The most important goal is to save lives, » said President Luis Abincer when visiting the scene of the accident. According to the President, the governor of the province of Monte Cristi, Nelsy Cruz, who therefore succumbed to her serious injuries in the hospital (APA/dpa)
