Dominican Republic nightclub collapse kills 113

At least 113 people have been killed and more than 150 injured after a roof collapsed at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, officials have said.

A provincial governor and former Major League Baseball pitcher, Octavio Dotel, were among the victims. Dotel, 51, died on the way to hospital after being pulled from the debris.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez at the Jet Set nightclub. He was among those killed in the incident, his manager confirmed.

Hundreds of people were inside the venue and around 400 rescuers are still searching for survivors. There are fears the death toll may rise further.

The Director of the Emergency Operations Centre (COE), Juan Manuel Méndez, said he was hopeful that many of those buried under the collapsed roof were still alive.

Jet Set is a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo that regularly hosts dance music concerts on Monday evenings. Politicians, athletes and other prominent figures were in attendance.

Also among the victims was Nelsy Cruz, governor of Monte Cristi province, President Luis Abinader said. She was the sister of former baseball player Nelson Cruz, a seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star.

Dotel, meanwhile, began playing for the New York Mets in 1999 and went on to play for teams including the Houston Astros, Oakland A’s, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers until 2013.

Video footage apparently taken inside the club shows people sitting at tables in front of the stage and some dancing to the music at the back while Rubby Pérez sings.

In a separate mobile phone recording shared on social media, a man standing next to the stage can be heard saying “something fell from the ceiling”, while his finger can be seen pointing towards the roof.

In the footage, singer Rubby Pérez also appears to be looking towards the area indicated by the man.

Less than 30 seconds later, a loud noise can be heard and the recording goes black, while a woman is heard shouting: “Dad, what’s happened to you?”

One of Rubby Pérez’s band members told local media that the club had been full when the collapse happened “at around 1am”.

“I thought it was an earthquake,” the musician said.

The daughter of Rubby Pérez said her father was among those trapped in the debris.

President Abinader has expressed his condolences to the families affected.
(BBC)