A crowd of increasingly agitated people gathered on Wednesday at the National Institute of Forensic Pathology in the Dominican Republic to get news of their still missing loved ones, one day after the roof of an iconic nightclub collapsed, killing at least 124 people and injuring hundreds more.
PUBLICIDAD
The officials from the National Institute of Forensic Pathology read the names of the 54 people they have identified so far.
PUBLICIDAD
“We can’t wait until the night!” said a woman who was waiting for news about a relative whose name she didn’t hear. “We are going to go crazy!”
The authorities requested calm and stated that they have already delivered 28 bodies to their families, but they still do not have a count of all the recovered corpses. The authorities said that more than 250 people were injured.
How did the roof collapse happen?
The legendary Jet Set club in Santo Domingo was packed with musicians, professional athletes, and government officials when dust began to fall from the ceiling and into people’s drinks in the early hours of Tuesday.
Minutes later, the entire roof collapsed. The concrete slabs killed some instantly and trapped dozens more on a dance floor where hundreds of people were enjoying a lively merengue concert. In the following minutes, the country’s 911 system received over 100 calls, many of them from people buried under the rubble.
Among the victims is merengue star Rubby Pérez, who was singing for the audience before the disaster occurred. His body was found early Wednesday morning, said the director of emergency operations, Juan Manuel Méndez.
The rescue teams were still searching for possible survivors more than 24 hours after the collapse.
Rescue teams from Puerto Rico and Israel arrived on Wednesday to collaborate in the search. Authorities said the teams used sonar systems to detect what could be a person still alive under the rubble.
Carolina Mejía, mayor of Santo Domingo, praised what she described as acts of love, such as that of a Dominican who was handing out coffee to those present at the scene and that of a Costa Rican who was on vacation and joined the search because he is part of a rescue team in his country.
Who are the most recognized victims?
Local media reported that among the deceased are a cardiologist, a government architect, a retired police officer, and the brother of the deputy minister of the Ministry of Youth.
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican player Tony Blanco also passed away.
Pedro Martinez, a member of the MLB Hall of Fame and former star of the Red Sox, said he shares the pain of the victims’ families because some of his own family members are also missing. “I hope that our relatives will appear,” Martínez said.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz, alerted President Luis Abinader about the disaster. She called him from under the rubble, but later died in a hospital.
Other victims include saxophonist Luis Solís, who was playing on stage when the roof collapsed, New York-based fashion designer Martín Polanco, several Venezuelan waiters, and an Army captain who had four young daughters.
Grupo Popular, a financial services company, stated that three of its employees also died, including the president of Banco AFP Popular and his wife.
More than 20 of the injured remained hospitalized on Wednesday, including at least eight in critical condition.
“A positive aspect is that they are young,” said Dr. Julio Landrón, general director of the Traumatological Hospital Dr. Ney Arias Lora, where 21 of the Jet Set injured are being treated, including five in critical condition.