Death toll climbs to 226 in Santo Domingo!
Santo Domingo, Apr 12 (EFE) –
Five more people died on Saturday, following the roof of a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, four days ago, bringing the death toll to 226.
According to the National Health Service (SNS), a 41-year-old Costa Rican woman died on Saturday from injuries sustained in the tragedy at the Jet Set discotheque during a performance by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who also died in the incident.
Hours earlier, Dominican Public Health Minister Victor Atallah said in a press conference that the death toll had risen from 221 to 225 after four people died between Friday night and early Saturday morning.
Part of the walls, twisted iron, and remains of the nightclub’s lighting are being guarded on the capital’s seafront, as EFE could verify.
In front of the discotheque, a fence now blocks the view of the disaster area, where there have been fumigations.
Dominican President Luis Abinader said Friday that there must be answers as to “what happened, why it happened, and how it happened.”
The government announced Thursday the formation of a commission of national and international experts to determine the accident’s cause.
Zulinka Pérez, daughter of the deceased singer, announced that she plans to sue the owners of the establishment, as she believes the accident was caused by negligence.
Among those who died at Jet Set were former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, the governor of Montecristi (Northwest), Nelsy Cruz, former baseball player Tony Blanco, a son of former Senate President and Minister of Public Works, Eduardo Estrella, and high-ranking bank executives.
The surroundings of this discotheque, which has been in operation for more than 50 years, are the scene of tributes with candles and flowers. EFE
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