Scores Killed In Nightclub Roof Collapse In Dominican Republic
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (Worthy News) – Rescuers frantically searched for survivors after a deadly roof collapse at an iconic nightclub in the Dominican Republic’s capital killed at least 67 people, including politicians, athletes, and others attending a merengue concert.
The collapse, in which more than 160 people were injured as well, happened during a concert at Jet Set, a popular nightclub, officials said. Its Monday night dance party was a decades-old tradition frequented by a who’s who of Dominican society, many of whom were still trapped inside late Tuesday, according to investigators.
Among those killed was Dominican merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died Tuesday afternoon after being trapped in the rubble of the nightclub, confirmed Listín Diario, a Dominican newspaper. The artist was 69 years old
Other victims included U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Octavio Dotel and ex-MLB player Tony Blanco.
“The Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic (LIDOM) expresses its sorrow for the passing of former pitcher Octavio Dotel, who was immortalized by the Dominican Sport Pavilion,” the league stated on social media.
Dotel, 51, was a native of Santo Domingo who played for 13 MLB teams over 15 seasons from 1999 to 2013. He signed with the New York Mets and was traded to the Houston Astros in 2000, where he stayed for five seasons. He went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals and ended his MLB career with the Detroit Tigers.
He won a World Series championship with the Cardinals in 2011.
DEATH CONFIRMED
The Dominican Republic Ministry of Sports and Recreation confirmed Blanco’s death in a statement Tuesday.
“We deeply regret the passing of former Major League Baseball player Tony Blanco,” the group added in a social media post. “His legacy will live on in the history of national baseball. We share in their grief with their family, friends, and colleagues, and we offer our prayers for their eternal rest.”
Blanco, 44, was born in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. He played first, third, and outfield for eight years in minor league baseball in the United States before making the MLB with the Washington Nationals in 2005. He last played in Japan for the Orix Buffaloes, a Nippon Professional Baseball team, in 2016.
Nelsy Cruz, sister of seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz and the governor of Montecristi, a northwestern province in the Dominican Republic, was also among those killed in the roof collapse, the Cruz family said on social media platform Instagram seen by Worthy News.
Cruz had reportedly called Dominican President Luis Abinader soon after the collapse, saying “she was trapped and that the roof had collapsed,” first lady Raquel Abraje told reporters.
Officials said she died later at the hospital.
MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred Jr. said in a statement that the MLB “is deeply saddened by the passings” of Dotel, Blanco, and Cruz.
‘HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES’
“We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family,” Manfred said. “The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today.”
With the death toll mounting, footage seen by Worthy News showed crews still searching for potential survivors in the rubble at the one-story Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo.
Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations, said: “We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble.”
Officials said Tuesday they were focused on rescues and had not yet begun to investigate the cause of the tragedy.
The building, a former movie theater, was at least 50 years old and had been the scene of a fire several years ago.
As night fell over this city, the impact of the tragedy was still sinking in.
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