Rescue teams are running to help about 100 people who are still in the rubble after the ceiling of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday (8), killing at least 44 and hurting tens.
At least 146 people were removed alive from the rubble of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the country’s capital, said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center.
When the ceiling collapsed, at least 300 people were on the scene, he added.
Missing families gathered at the scene and shared photos of their loved ones, while more than 150 ambulances took the injured to the hospital.
Employees from at least 22 public institutions are on site helping response efforts, authorities said.
The cause of collapse is not yet known.
Aerial images of local news vehicles released on Tuesday morning showed the site with a wide hole in the middle of the building, where the public would be located during a busy musical performance.
Among the dead was Nelsy Cruz, governor of Monte Cristi province, Dominican President Luis Abinader said. Cruz was related to the MLB star Nelson Cruz, according to a statement by his family lamenting his death.
The ceiling collapsed around 1 am local time, while the merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra performed on stage, the authorities said.
Images from inside the place seem to show the moment the crisis began.
A video shows the band performing while someone near the stage points out that something fell in the back of the club. Moments later, hanging lights suspended on the ceiling begin to collapse, along with the entire ceiling above. Screams and bang sounds can be heard for a few seconds before the video darkens.
Pérez’s daughter told local media that her father survived the collapse. She said the rescuers found him singing under the rubble. “He started singing so they could hear him,” she said.
The former MLB and World Series Octavio Dotel champion was also found alive and taken to a hospital for treatment, Méndez said.
Meanwhile, the son of public works Minister Eduardo Estrella is among the missing, Méndez added.
Abinader declared three days of mourning after the disaster. He went to the nightclub on Tuesday morning with his wife, the first lady Raquel Arbaje, to express her condolences to the victims.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred in the Jet Set nightclub,” Abinader wrote in the X. “All rescue agencies have provided the necessary assistance and are working tirelessly in rescue efforts. Our prayers are with families affected.”
Carolina MejÃa de Garrigo, mayor of the city, said that Saint Domingo was waking up “for a terrible tragedy,” offering their condolences to families “who still expect news from their loved ones.”
The Jet Set nightclub is one of the most famous places in the Caribbean country, and its events on Monday nights are especially well frequented.
This content was originally published in the Dominican Republic has at least 44 dead after a nightclub ceiling to collapse on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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