Dominican Republic Nightclub Roof Collapse: At Least 27 Killed

Using heavy machinery, drones, technical equipment and dozens of rescuers, officials worked frantically Tuesday to find survivors of a deadly roof collapse at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic, where at least 27 people died, the authorities said.

A roof collapsed overnight during a concert at the popular nightclub, and people were still trapped inside, according to emergency management officials.

In a series of social media posts, the authorities said rescuers made 134 ambulance trips to hospitals from the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the capital.

But so many people were injured that ambulances initially had to carry two or three to the hospital at a time, meaning more than 130 people were injured, Juan Manuel Méndez, the director of the Emergency Operations Center, said in an Instagram video shared by the national police.

“We are taking out the people we can rescue alive,” Mr. Méndez said. “You can hear people asking to be helped.”

Victims were still being pulled from the rubble, alive and dead. Some people received phone calls from relatives who were stuck inside, Mr. Méndez said.

He vowed not to give up searching until each person was found.

Jet Set, which has been open for more than 45 years, is one of the most famous clubs in the Dominican Republic. It is especially well known for its Monday shows, a staple of live music in the city.

Anxious family members gathered at the scene, desperate for news of their loved ones. Some people said they had up to seven relatives missing following the disaster.
Several members of the Dominican Congress were thought to have been inside the club, and several lawmakers went to the site.

“My dear brother!” one woman screamed upon learning that her sibling had not survived.

Another woman, Yeheris Ventura, sobbed as she described the anxiety of not hearing from her husband, Gálver Silvestre, who was at the club and whose name was not among the list of survivors or dead that had been circulated.

Rubby Pérez, a merengue singer, was scheduled to perform at the club on Monday night, according to Jet Set’s Instagram account.

Videos circulating on social media and verified by The New York Times showed Mr. Pérez performing before a group of revelers. The camera began shaking and people started screaming as a large chandelier dropped from the ceiling.

Another video, filmed in the aftermath and also verified by The Times, captured the extensive destruction, revealing that almost the entire roof had collapsed, with rubble covering the stage and dance floor as rescuers searched the wreckage.

When asked at a news briefing about the condition of Mr. Pérez, the authorities said they were still trying to collect information on those injured. Mr. Méndez said he could not say how many people were inside at the time of the accident.

Among those at the nightclub was Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the Dominican province Monte Cristi, an area in the northwest of the country near the border with Haiti.

Ms. Cruz called President Luis Abinader at 12:49 a.m., while she was trapped in the rubble, the first lady, Raquel P. Arbaje, told reporters at the scene.

Ms. Cruz died later in a hospital, Mr. Abinader said at the club Tuesday morning.

“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub,” Mr. Abinader said on X. “We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred.”

Mayor Carolina Mejía de Garrigó of Santo Domingo, wrote on social media, “Our city wakes up to a terrible tragedy,” extending her condolences to families affected by the tragedy.

Nader Ibrahim, Amelia Nierenberg and Jonathan Wolfe contributed reporting.