• Accidents
• Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo, Apr 9 (EFE).-

The death toll from a roof collapse at Santo Domingo’s Jet Set nightclub has climbed to 184, Dominican authorities reported Wednesday.

The head of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), Juan Manuel Méndez, said at a press conference that rescue teams would remain at the scene until there was a single person searching for a missing family member.

He emphasized that a statement released hours earlier by the government did not mean that the rescue operations had ended.

“It would be an incentive for us if we could find someone with vital signs under the rubble, but since three in the afternoon yesterday, we haven’t rescued anyone alive,” he said.

He announced that the next update on the death toll and other matters to be reported would be at 6 am on Thursday.

The tragedy occurred during a party on Tuesday morning while renowned merengue singer Rubby Pérez was performing.

The singer’s body was recovered from the rubble on Wednesday.

His funeral will be held on Thursday, the ministry of culture announced.

Also killed in the collapse were former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco, as well as fashion designer Martín Polanco and the governor of Montecristi province, Delsy Cruz.

The government reported that, based on the findings and conditions observed by the more than 300 rescuers who remain active at the site of the collapse, it has transitioned from a search and rescue phase to a body recovery phase.

Méndez said that some family members, upon learning of their loved ones’ deaths, collapsed and were treated in ambulances, fueling rumors that people were found alive on Wednesday.

The government declared three days of national mourning between Apr.8-10, during which public festive activities will be suspended and the flag will be flown at half-mast, even on public buildings.

Several governments have expressed their solidarity with their Dominican counterparts and with the people of the Caribbean country. EFE

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