The roof of an iconic nightclub in the The capital of the Dominican Republic collapsed During a Merengue concert, kill at least 218 people and hurt more than 200 more. The politicians, athletes and a fashion designer were among those who put Jet in Santo Domingo when the disaster occurred at the beginning of Tuesday.
Officials have said that it is too early to determine why the roof fell. The Government has moved to a recovery phase, focused on finding bodies, as dozens of people stayed in hospitals and the Forensics Institute still eagerly awaiting their loved ones.
What happened?
Rescue workers use sheets while recovering the runes of the Jet Set nightclub after their roof collapsed two nights before during a Merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
Ricardo Hernandez/ Associated Press
The roof collapsed Almost an hour after the Merengue concert headed by Rubby Pérez started in Jet Set. The club was known for its Monday merengue parties on Monday night, which attracted international and Dominican celebrities of great profile.
A video posted on social media shows parts of the roof fall and people who are starting to move away before the whole roof collapses on them.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the province of Montecristi and seven-time sister in the Basketball League of the major league Nelson CruzAlerted the Dominican President Luis Abinader of the disaster, shouting from the waste, according to Abinader’s wife, Raquel Abraje. Officials said that Nelsy Cruz died later in a hospital.
Why did the roof collapsed?
Authorities say it’s too early to determine the cause of the disaster. Firefighters removed blocks of broken concrete and created makeshift planks to try to reach the buried survivors under the debris. More than 180 survivors were rescued from the rubble.
Rescue workers are looking for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after their roof collapsed during a Merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Notaries sin/ associated press
It is unclear how often government officials inspect buildings in the Dominican Republic or when the JET was last inspected.
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A spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works referred to the Associated Press in the mayor’s office for comments. Could not reach a spokesman for the mayor.
The owners of Jet Set, who issued a statement saying that they cooperate with the authorities, were not accessible to comments either.
Who are the victims?
The relatives of the Merengue singer, Rubby Pérez, acting when the roof collapsed, initially said that he had been rescued. But Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, said that his body was found on Wednesday at the beginning.
The manager of the singer, Enrique Paulino, said that the group’s saxophonist also died.
People cry during the search for survivors in the midst of Jet Set’s debris after their roof collapsed two nights before during a Merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
Ricardo Hernandez/Associated Press
The Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic published X that former MLB launcher Octavio Dotel He was extracted from the debris but died in a hospital. The Dominican basketball player was also killed, Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, said the spokesman for the Satosky Terrero League.
Other victims include a United Nations Fashion Officer, New York’s fashion designer Martín Polanco, an army captain who left four young girls and three Popular Group employees, a financial service company, including the President of the Popular Bank AFP and his wife.
What is Jet set?
It is an iconic nightclub in southern Santo Domingo that has worked for almost five decades. He was known for his « Jet Set Mondays » who presented local and international Merengue artists.
People gather outside the Jet Set nightclub after their roof collapsed during a Merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Ricardo Hernandez/ Associated Press
The club and the restaurant, which opened in 1973, was the most popular place of its kind in the Dominican Republic, according to the list of newspapers on the list of newspapers.
Later he moved and celebrated his first anniversary in the new location with the Merengue and Salsa icon, Johnny Ventura.
The club underwent reforms in 2010 and 2015, and was hit by Lightning in 2023, according to the newspaper.
General entrance tickets for Monday concert with Rubby Pérez were $ 32, while VIPs were $ 40, depending on the club’s website.
What is below?
The Government announced on Wednesday that it was transferred to a recovery phase after rescue teams were seeking survivors for more than 24 hours after the collapse.
People looking for their missing relatives, a list of names outside the Jet Set nightclub after their roof collapsed during a Merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Ricardo Hernandez / Associated Press
In -depth investigation into collapse is expected. Authorities have not published any preliminary finding or commented on what could have caused the roof to fall.
The soldiers arrive in the area where rescue workers seek survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after their roof collapsed two nights before during a Merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
Ricardo Hernandez/ Associated Press
Relatives were waiting at the Nation Forensics Institute while working to identify victims, while others went from hospital to hospital in search of loved ones, some photographs that are taken.
Many of the injured were in critical or serious condition with broken bones.
& Copy 2025 The Canadian Press
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