Almost 100 people have been killed after the roof of a nightclub collapsed in the Dominican Republic capital Santo Domingo during a concert by popular singer Rubby Perez, who died in the disaster.
Rescuers were working to find survivors early on Wednesday, more than 24 hours after the roof caved in, though the operation was increasingly focused on recovering bodies. About 370 personnel have been combing mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets.
The death toll started at 15 but kept rising throughout Tuesday. By early Wednesday, the preliminary figure had reached 98, said Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the country's emergency operations centre.
“As long as there is hope for life, all authorities will be working to recover or rescue these people,” he said.
Perez, 69, a renowned Dominican merengue singer, was on stage at the Jet Set nightclub when the roof fell in shortly after midnight on Tuesday, his manager Enrique Paulino told AFP.
Also among the dead was 51-year-old retired Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, who won a World Series in 2011 with the St Louis Cardinals. He was found alive but died of his injuries while being taken to hospital, it was reported. “Peace to his soul,” the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League wrote on social media.
Dominican media said there were between 500 and 1,000 people in the club when disaster struck. The venue has capacity for 700 people seated and about 1,000 standing.
Dozens of ambulances ferried the injured to hospital, as scores of people gathered outside the club, desperately seeking news of their loved ones.
Perez's daughter Zulinka said she had managed to escape after the roof collapsed but her father did not.
Also among the dead was the governor of the Monte Cristi municipality, Nelsy Cruz, said President Luis Abinader, who visited the scene and declared three days of national mourning.
Iris Pena, who had attended the show, told of how she escaped with her son.
“At one point, dirt started falling like dust into the drink on the table,” she said. “A stone fell and cracked the table where we were, and we got out. The impact was so strong, as if it had been a tsunami or an earthquake.”
Dozens of family members flocked to hospitals for news. “We are desperate,” said Regina del Rosa, whose sister was at the concert. “They are not giving us news, they are not telling us anything.”
Helicopter images revealed a large hole where the club's roof once was. A crane was helping lift some of the heavier rubble as men in hard hats dug through the debris. Authorities have issued a call for Dominicans to donate blood.
The Instagram page of the Jet Set club said it had been in operation for more than 50 years, with shows every Monday. On Tuesday, the club issued a statement saying it was working “fully and transparently” with authorities.
The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, is a major tourist destination in the region, receiving more than 11 million visitors last year, its Ministry of Tourism said.
Tourism generates about 15 per cent of the country's gross domestic product, with visitors attracted by the music and nightlife, Caribbean beaches, and colonial architecture of Santo Domingo.
