98 Dead after Jet Set disco’s roof collapsed!
Santo Domingo, Apr 8 (EFE). –
At least 98 people died after the roof of the Jet Set discotheque in Santo Domingo collapsed shortly after midnight on Tuesday; rescue efforts continue for people trapped in the rubble, confirmed the Dominican Republic Emergency Operations Center (COE) in its latest update.
The nightclub, popular for its Monday parties, was filled with hundreds of people attending a concert by Dominican singer Rubby Perez.
Pérez was trapped under the rubble but his daughter and manager confirmed to local press he was found alive.
“They tell me that he is fine, someone said that they found him because he started to sing so that they would find him”, said Zulinka Pérez in declarations to the press.
Pérez explained that she and her husband are well, but “one musician died, another one is in bad shape”.
The singer’s daughter explained that she was on stage and exchanged microphones with her father: “If I had been on my father’s microphone I would not have been here”.
“Everything collapsed, it got dark, my husband got on top of me, and he told me “leave, in case everything collapses, and our child is not left alone,’” she recounted.
Dominican President Luis Abinader, who went to the site with his wife and other ministers to show solidarity with the victims and their families, confirmed the death of the governor of Montecristi province, Nelsy Cruz, who was inside the discotheque.
In a statement, Abinader lamented the tragedy and assured: “All the aid organizations have provided the necessary assistance and are working tirelessly in the rescue efforts.
In statements to the press, the director of the COE, General Juan Manuel Méndez, said survivors were calling for help inside the discotheque, adding that over 200 rescuers will continue working until they find all the people affected by the collapse.
Méndez said Tuesday that between 150 and 160 people had been taken to hospitals.
Dozens of ambulances, COE units, Police, Emergency Personnel, the Fire Department, the Civil Defense, and the Ministry of Defense were working on the site.
Meanwhile, relatives of those who were inside the discotheque at the time of the incident are flocking to the area to learn the fate of their loved ones. EFE acm/mcd
