Singer, ex-MLB players among 124 dead after Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse

At least 124 people were killed and more than 155 injured when a nightclub’s roof collapsed in the Dominican Republic’s capital city early Tuesday, local officials said, including a prominent local singer, a governor and two former Major League Baseball players.

Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center for Emergency Operations, told reporters that 155 people were hospitalized after the collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo.

A crew of more than 300 Dominican emergency services workers, along with 12 from Puerto Rico and nine from Israel, continues to clear debris and search for more bodies in the rubble, Méndez said Wednesday. He said he expects the work of rescue and recovery to last at least an additional 24 to 36 hours. It was unclear how many people were still missing.

“If we find people alive, we will communicate it immediately,” Méndez said. “We won’t ever lose hope.”

One of those killed was the prominent Dominican singer Rubby Pérez, who was known as “the highest voice in merengue” and had been performing with his band when the roof collapsed, his manager, Enrique Paulino, confirmed to the Washington Post on Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, Pérez’s daughter told local media that Pérez was rescued from the wreckage and hospitalized, but Paulino said that account was inaccurate. Pérez was 69.

Pérez likely died instantly, Paulino said, with a column falling on top of him.

“Where he was, it would have been impossible to survive,” Paulino said.

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader said Nelsy Milagros Cruz, governor of Montecristi province, was among those killed. The governor, the sister of seven-time Major League Baseball all-star Nelson Cruz, was rescued from the wreckage but died at a hospital, according to local media.

Former major league pitcher Octavio Dotel died on his way to a hospital after being recovered by emergency workers, according to local and sports media. Tony Blanco, who played in the minor leagues from 2000 to 2008 and spent 56 games with the Washington Nationals in 2005, was killed in the collapse, with the Dominican Republic Ministry of Sports and Recreation confirming his death to ESPN.

The cause of the collapse, which happened at 12:44 a.m., according to local media, was not immediately clear.

Abinader offered his condolences in a statement on social media.

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

“Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family. The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today.”

The family of Nelsy Cruz posted a funeral announcement on Nelson Cruz’s Instagram stories and thanked “all those who have expressed their love and solidarity at this difficult time. Her legacy of service and love for others will live forever in our hearts.”

The collapse happened during a busy night for the club, which hosts live shows – including local and international acts – on Monday nights, according to Jet Set’s website.

Footage apparently filmed inside the club during the collapse, which was shared on social media and by local media outlets and could not immediately be verified, shows Pérez performing with his band as a crowd mills around in front of the stage. Suddenly, a glass ceiling fixture in the background lurches downward, and the footage abruptly turns dark. Screams can be heard.

Paulino, Pérez’s manager, told reporters that the group’s saxophonist was killed, the Associated Press reported. Paulino said that when the ceiling fell, he initially thought there had been an earthquake.

Outside the club, Manuel Olivo Ortiz awaited more information about his missing son, who attended the Pérez performance. “We’re holding on only to God,” Olivo said, according to the AP.

Videos of the aftermath – shot from above, through the club’s destroyed roof – showed rescuers and firefighters clambering around the wreckage, illuminated by floodlights.

The U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic offered its “deepest condolences” in a statement on social media.

“We stand in solidarity with the families of the victims, the injured, and all the Dominican people during this difficult time,” said Patricia Aguilera, chargé d’affaires at the embassy.

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Cindy Boren contributed to this report.