Sawt Falasteen - Over 110 dead in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse

Rescue workers were pressing on with the search effort, now limited more to recovering bodies from the rubble over a day after the roof caved in.

Renowned Dominican merengue singer Perez, who was performing at the Jet Set nightclub for hundreds of people when the roof collapsed shortly after midnight Tuesday, was one of those killed, his manager said.

Relatives of clubgoers gathered around the disaster site in the capital Santo Domingo as rescuers ferried the injured to hospital, and used a crane to remove debris.

"We have some friends here, a niece, a cousin, some friends, who are in the rubble," Rodolfo Espinal told AFP on Tuesday, as he waited for information on his loved ones.

About 300 rescue workers combed mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets for survivors, supported by personnel from Puerto Rico and Israel, Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, said on Wednesday.

Also among the dead were former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco.

Dotel, who was 51 years old, was rescued alive but later died of his injuries, local media reported.

A black-and-white photo of Dotel and images of the Dominican flag were projected onto the scoreboard at Citi Field in New York before Tuesday's game between the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins.

"Peace to his soul," the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League wrote in separate social media posts paying tribute to the two ex-players.

Local media said there were between 500 and 1,000 people in the club when disaster struck at around 12:44 am (0444 GMT) Tuesday. The club has capacity for about 1,700 people.

Perez was on stage when there was a blackout and the roof came crashing down, according to eyewitness reports.

Perez's daughter Zulinka told reporters she had managed to escape after the roof collapsed, but he did not.

Also among the dead was the governor of the Monte Cristi municipality, Nelsy Cruz, according to President Luis Abinader.

He declared three days of national mourning.

The death toll had reached 113 by Wednesday morning, said Mendez of the Emergency Operations Center.

"No people have been found alive since 3:00 pm (Tuesday)," he said earlier.

- 'We are desperate' -

Iris Pena, a woman who had attended the show, told SIN television how she escaped with her son.

"At one point, dirt started falling like dust into the drink on the table," she said.

"A stone fell and cracked the table where we were, and we got out," Pena recounted. "The impact was so strong, as if it had been a tsunami or an earthquake."

Dozens of family members flocked to hospitals for news.

"We are desperate," Regina del Rosa, whose sister was at the concert, told SIN. "They are not giving us news, they are not telling us anything."

Helicopter images revealed a large hole where the club's roof once was.

Authorities have issued a call for Dominicans to donate blood.

- 'Devastated' -

Artists paid tribute to Rubby Perez on social media, with former colleague Wilfrido Vargas saying he was "devastated."

"The friend and idol of our genre has left us," Vargas wrote.

"Maestro, what a great pain he leaves us," wrote Puerto Rican singer Olga Tanon.

The Instagram page of the Jet Set club said it has been in operation for more than 50 years, with shows every Monday until the early hours.

Its last post before Monday's event invited fans to come and "enjoy his (Perez's) greatest hits and dance in the country's best nightclub."

The Jet Set collapse was one of the biggest tragedies the Caribbean nation and top tourist destination has faced in recent years.

In 2023, around 40 people were killed and dozens injured in an explosion linked to a plastics company in San Cristobal, near Santo Domingo.

And in 2005, more than 130 prisoners in the east of the country died in a fire caused by a fight between inmates.

Tourism generates about 15 percent of GDP in the country, with millions of annual visitors attracted by its music, nightlife, Caribbean beaches and the colonial architecture of the capital.

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H.Darwish--SF-PST