At least 98 people have died and 160 others have been injured after a roof collapsed at a nightclub in the capital of the Dominican Republic, the authorities said.
Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the emergency operations centre, said on Tuesday night that rescue efforts were ongoing.
“We continue clearing debris and searching for people,” he said. “We’re going to search tirelessly for people.”
It is not yet clear what caused the roof to collapse at Jet Set club in Santo Domingo in the early hours of Tuesday morning during a concert.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, was among the victims.
After becoming trapped when the roof collapsed, Cruz managed to call President Luis Abinader at 12.49am and tell him what had happened, according to First Lady Raquel Abraje. Cruz later died in hospital, officials confirmed.
“This is too great a tragedy,” Abraje said, her voice breaking.
The Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic posted on X that former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, 51,and Dominican baseball player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera were also killed.
Relatives of merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof collapsed, initially said that he had been rescued, but Méndez said later on Tuesday that rescue crews were still looking for him.
The singer’s manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was spattered with blood, told reporters at the scene that the concert began shortly before midnight, with the roof collapsing almost an hour later, killing the group’s saxophonist.
Dozens of people gathered at the National Institute of Forensic Pathology, which shared pictures of the victims so their loved ones could identify them.
Jet Set, a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo that regularly hosts dance music concerts on Monday evenings, is attended by politicians, athletes and prominent figures.
The club was celebrating its 50th anniversary, according to its Instagram account.
