Nightclub roof collapse kills at least 184 in Dominican Republic, including former MLB players

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By Jessica Hasbun, Verónica Calderón and Michael Rios, CNN

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (CNN) — Nearly 200 people were killed in the Dominican Republic after the roof of an iconic nightclub collapsed in what has become one of the country’s deadliest tragedies in decades.

At least 300 people were inside Jet Set nightclub early Tuesday morning, in the capital of Santo Domingo, when the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. during a performance of merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, authorities said. Pérez’s body was recovered from the scene on Wednesday morning, emergency services said.

At least 184 people, including two former Major League Baseball players, were killed, according to Juan Manuel Méndez, the director of the Emergency Operations Center, in an update on Wednesday.

The exact number of the injured has yet to be provided by officials, with Méndez saying earlier that 145 people who had been rescued on Tuesday were “alive.”

It is also unclear how many people are unaccounted for, and on Wednesday, emergency responders said they would end rescue efforts after recovering another 20 bodies from the rubble. Many bodies have yet to be identified.

Aerial footage showed the venue with a wide, gaping hole in the middle of the building where the audience would have been located during the performance.

The cause of the roof’s collapse is not yet known.

Desperate families were seen outside the destroyed venue on Wednesday, hoping that their loved ones would be rescued from the debris. Local news footage on Wednesday showed some searching for the names of their loved ones in lists hanging on a field hospital outside the venue, while others went from hospital to hospital in search of news.

Crews had been working tirelessly since Tuesday to find signs of life. But the search for victims has strained them. “The past two days have been difficult because when people are trapped, you’re not feeling well mentally,” one responder told CNN.

Footage from inside the venue appears to show the moment the crisis unfolded on Tuesday morning.

One video shows the band performing while someone near the stage points out that something had fallen in the back of the Jet Set club. Moments later, pendant lights suspended from the ceiling start to collapse, along with the entire roof overhead. Screams and crashing sounds can be heard for a few seconds before the video goes dark.

At least one US citizen and an unspecified number of US residents died in the tragic event, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X Wednesday.

Former Major League Baseball player Octavio Dotel was among those killed on Tuesday, according to Méndez and Dotel’s foundation. He died on the way to the hospital after being rescued alive from the rubble, Méndez told CNN.

Dotel’s education academy, Colegio Sabiduría y Baluarte, mourned him in a statement, saying he leaves “an indelible mark on all of us who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him.”

Another former major leaguer, Tony Blanco, also died after the collapse, MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred and the Dominican Sports Ministry said.

“We share in their grief with their family, friends, and colleagues, and we offer our prayers for their eternal rest,” the ministry said of Blanco in a statement.

Also among the dead was Nelsy Cruz, governor of the Monte Cristi province, Dominican President Luis Abinader said. Cruz was related to MLB all-star Nelson Cruz, according a statement from his family mourning her death.

Another former baseball star, Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez, said on Instagram that some of his family members in the Dominican Republic are missing.

“With a heavy heart I send condolences to all our family members and the people in the United States that have family in the Dominican Republic. We are sad and affected by the tragedy,” said Martinez.

The son of Public Works Minister Eduardo Estrella was also among the missing, officials said.

Survivors and responders speak out

Pérez’s daughter Zulinka survived the collapse thanks in part to her husband, she told reporters on Tuesday. She said her husband shielded her with his body and told her to get out immediately so their child “won’t be left alone.” Her husband also made it out but suffered a broken leg, she said.

Almost immediately after the roof caved in, Gov. Cruz called President Abinader – while she was trapped under the rubble – to alert him of the tragedy, according to First Lady Raquel Arbaje.

“The president started mobilizing all the organizations” to send help right after the call, she said.

Another survivor, Jenniré Mena of Venezuela, told CNN that she was at the club celebrating her 40th birthday with two of her friends. One of them died and the other got trapped under the rubble with Jenniré. For hours, they comforted each other by holding hands until they were rescued around 5 a.m.

“I’m grateful to be alive, feeling a lot of pain, but grateful to have the opportunity to feel this pain,” she said.

First responders have been providing health and emotional support services for grieving family members still searching for their loved ones, Rosmery Lebron of the Dominican Red Cross told CNN.

Search efforts have also taken a mental toll on rescue workers.

“You hear people who are trapped, screaming for help – it’s a bit difficult,” said Daniel Heredia, a member of the Dominican Civil Protection Service, who’s all too familiar with loss and pain. He lost a leg after an injury 15 years ago, and now, using a prosthetic leg, he leads a rescue team to search for survivors.

Personnel from at least 22 public institutions were at the site helping with response efforts, officials said. Nine rescue workers from Israel and 12 from Puerto Rico also provided help, Méndez said Wednesday.

Three days of mourning

Abinader has declared three days of mourning following the disaster. He traveled to the nightclub later Tuesday morning with his First Lady Arbaje to express their condolences to families of the victims.

“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub,” Abinader wrote on X. “All rescue agencies have provided the necessary assistance and are working tirelessly in the rescue efforts. Our prayers are with the affected families.”

Carolina Mejía de Garrigó, the city’s mayor, said Tuesday that Santo Domingo was waking “to a terrible tragedy,” offering her condolences to families “still waiting for news of their loved ones.”

The Jet Set nightclub is one of the Caribbean nation’s most famous venues, and its Monday night events are especially well attended.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon, Avery Schmitz, Jose Alvarez, Pablo Antonio Garcia Escorihuela, Lex Harvey and Lauren Kent contributed to this report.