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Tragedy befell the Jet Set Nightclub in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic during the early hours of Tuesday, April 8, when the roof of the nightclub fell on top of its patrons.
Dominican authorities report that at around 1 a.m., during the performance of merengue music artist Rubby Pérez, the roof of the popular Jet Set Nightclub collapsed, as per CNN.
The Associated Press reports that the count of people who died in the collapse has reached 98, and 160 people have been injured. The director of the Center of Emergency Operations told the news agency that the search is on for survivors, even 12 hours after the tragic incident. The news outlet also provided a translation of the President of Dominican Republic’s post on X, which read:
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred”
Among those who tragically died in the incident were two Major League Baseball players, Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco, confirmed the Dominican National Police, according to ESPN. As per the outlet, Nelsy Cruz, governor of Monte Cristi province and the sister of MLB player Nelson Cruz, who was a seven-time All-star, also perished in the incident.
Octavio Dotel started playing major league baseball in 1999 with the New York Mets, and holds the record for the most teams played for (13) by a pitcher in MLB history. ESPN reports that Dotel, who won the 2011 World Series while with the St. Louis Cardinals, and who also played for the Athletics and Houston Astros, was brought to a hospital where he died.
Tony Blanco, meanwhile, played minor league baseball for 8 years. As per ESPN, he played in the major leagues for the Washington Nationals in 2005, after which Blanco played baseball in Japan and the Dominican Republic.
Rob Manfred, the Commissioner of the MLB, mourned those who died in the freak incident in a statement:
“Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo.”
About the Jet Set Nightclub
The Associated Press reports that the Jet Set Nightclub, which opened in 1973, had been running successfully for decades and famously conducted ‘Jet Set Mondays,’ which hosted popular artists from around the world. As per the news agency, the Jet Set Nightclub was renovated twice, in 2010 and 2015, and was even struck by lightning in 2023.
USA Today reported that on the fateful night of April 8, a high-profile crowd of athletes and politicians had gathered to attend Pérez’s merengue concert. Pérez was also captured while going up on stage in a video posted to his Instagram page before the tragic incident. The icon was seen in the backdrop of upbeat merengue music, beginning his performance just a few hours before his death. Amid conflicting reports by the singer’s family members, it was later confirmed that Pérez had died, according to Billboard.
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According to a report by Daily Mail, a music promoter told the news outlet that around 850 guests were present at the Jet Set Nightclub.
As of the writing of this article, the Dominican authorities do not know what caused the club’s roof to collapse. The club’s ownership, meanwhile, is cooperating with the authorities, as per Associated Press.
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