The death toll from the nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic has climbed to 184, making it one of the Caribbean nation’s worst tragedies in recent history.
Two days after the roof came crashing down on some 300 people enjoying a live music show at the Jet Set nightclub,the families of the victims gathered outside the wreckage of the iconic party place in Santo Domingo to find their loved ones.
People complained of a stench emanating from the rubble and many wore face masks as they pleaded with local officials for information about the missing.
A spokesperson for the president said that search and rescue work would now transition to recovery of the bodies as any hopes of finding survivors had faded.
A statement said “all reasonable possibilities of finding more survivors” had been exhausted.
Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Centre, said at least 184 people were confirmed dead and 145 had been rescued.
It was unclear how many people remained unaccounted for as many bodies were yet to be identified and handed over to the families.
More than 20 of the injured were still in hospitals, at least eight of them in critical condition.
The nightclub was packed with musicians, retired Major League Baseball players and government officials for a concert by Rubby Pérez, known as the “loudest voice in merengue”, on Tuesday night. Not long after the concert began, however, dust started falling into people’s drinks and, moments later, the entire roof collapsed.
People trapped under the concrete slabs began calling the emergency services line and police said they had received more than 100 such calls.
Pérez’s body was found early on Wednesday, Mr Méndez said.
Two former Major League Baseball players, Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco, were killed in the tragedy, as was Nelsy Cruz, governor of Monte Cristi province, who had called president Luis Abinader from under the rubble to alert him about the disaster.
The National Institute of Forensic Pathology on Wednesday released the names of 54 victims who had been identified and said they had already delivered 28 bodies to their families.
“We cannot wait until nighttime!” a woman frustrated waiting for news of a relative whose name she didn’t hear said. “We are going to go crazy!”
José Sánchez, whose brother and brother-in-law remained missing, accused local authorities of “selling us false dreams”.
Dr Julio Landrón, director general of Dr Ney Arias Lora Trauma Hospital, where 20 people were admitted, said they had suffered serious injuries such as fractures in skull, femur and pelvis.
“They spent more than six, seven, eight hours under the rubble with multiple fractures, multiple injuries, with bleeding related to being crushed,” he said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what had caused the entire roof to collapse or when the Jet Set building was last inspected.
The president declared three days of mourning following the disaster and traveled to the site of collapse to console the relatives of the victims
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub,” Mr Abinader said on X. “All rescue agencies have provided the necessary assistance and are working tirelessly. Our prayers are with the affected families.”
In 2005, more than 130 people were killed after a fire caused during a clash between inmates in a prison.
