Death toll climbs to 124 in roof collapse at Dominican nightclub. What to know
At least 124 people were killed when a roof at a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed this week and authorities said Wednesday they were still searching the rubble for people to rescue.
Among the dead are a provincial governor, a popular singer who was performing and multiple former Major League Baseball players, according to the Dominican Republic National Police. Another 155 people were injured and taken to medical centers for treatment, officials said.
The collapse happened Tuesday at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo during a performance by merengue singer Rubby Pérez, whose body was found Wednesday morning. The cause of the roof collapse wasn't immediately clear as authorities investigated.
The search on Wednesday was joined by rescue teams from Puerto Rico and Israel as a show of "solidarity" with the Dominican Republic, authorities said.
Here's what we know about the disaster:
What happened at Jet Set nightclub?
The collapse happened early Tuesday during a performance by Pérez. His manager, Enrique Paulino, told reporters the performance started just before midnight and the collapse happened almost an hour later, the Associated Press reported. Video posted to social media shows the merengue singer on stage moments before the roof came down.
Authorities haven’t yet said what the cause of the collapse was. The Dominican Republic National Police didn’t respond to an inquiry about the status of the investigation into the cause on Wednesday.
Families of people who were at the nightclub gathered to wait for news about their loved ones.
"I still have family members that are still in the rubble, and we don't know what happened to them," Pedro Martinez, a 17-season Major League Baseball player, said in a video on social media on Tuesday evening.
Who were the victims?
The death toll climbed to 124 Wednesday morning as authorities continued searching the rubble and worked to identify all the victims.
Among the dead were Pérez, Director of the Emergency Operations Center, Juan Manuel Méndez, said on Wednesday morning. A saxophonist was also killed, the Associated Press reported.
The singer’s brother is a former MLB player, and several other athletes were also at the nightclub, according to sports agent Paul Kinzer, who told Paste BN that Jet Set was a popular spot for players.
Octavio Dotel, 51, and Tony Blanco, 43, both former MLB players, were also killed. Dotel, a former New York Mets player, was pulled from the rubble but died on the way to the hospital, officials 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," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
Nelsy Cruz, governor of the northern Monte Cristi province, also died in the collapse, according to President Luis Abinader, who visited the site Tuesday. Cruz was also the sister of Nelson Cruz, a former MLB player. The Associated Press reported that first lady Raquel Abraje told reporters Nelsy Cruz called Abinader at 12:49 a.m. and said she was trapped in the rubble. Nelsy Cruz later died at the hospital.
Eduardo Guarionex Estrella, son of the minister of public works and communications Eduardo Estrella, was also found dead, authorities said Wednesday.
Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Michael Loria, Paste BN; Reuters