Authorities say at least 98 people have been killed and 160 have been injured after a roof collapsed in a nightclub in the Dominican Republic capital.
Juan Manuel Mendes, director of the Emergency Operations Center, said rescue operations were ongoing Tuesday night.
“We’ll clean up the pieces and keep searching for people,” he said. “We ask people to work tirelessly.”
It is not yet clear why the roof collapsed at the Jetset Club in Santo Domingo early Tuesday morning during the concert.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Monte Christi’s northwestern state and sister to the seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, was among the victims.
According to First Lady Raquel Abraje, Cruz called President Lewis Abinader to tell him what had happened after he was locked up when the roof collapsed. Cruz later died in the hospital, officials confirmed.
“This is just too much of a tragedy,” Abraje said, her voice broke.
The Dominican Republic’s professional baseball league posted on X that former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, 51, and Dominican baseball player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera were also killed.
Parents of Meringue singer Ruby Perez, who was playing when the roof collapsed, initially said they had been rescued, but Mendes said later Tuesday that rescuers were still looking for him.
The singer’s manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was littered with blood, told reporters on the scene that the concert began shortly before midnight and nearly an hour later the roof collapsed, killing the group’s saxophonist.
Dozens gathered at the National Institute of Forensic Pathology to share photos of the victims so that their loved ones could identify them.
Jetset, a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo, which regularly hosts dance music concerts on Monday nights, features politicians, athletes and well-known figures.
According to their Instagram account, the club was celebrating its 50th anniversary.
