The death toll has risen since the roof of a Dominican Republic nightclub collapsed during a concert.
The roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub killed at least 79 people and injured another 155, according to Gen. Juan Manuel Mendez, the director of the country’s emergency operations center, who spoke to reporters Tuesday evening.
National police said a search-and-rescue operation was underway in the rubble following the collapse of the venue in Santo Domingo’s capital.
The incident occurred at 12:34 a.m. on Tuesday, during a concert by Dominican merengue singer Rubby Pérez, according to police. According to police, the roof collapsed within seconds.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub,” Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader wrote on social media. “We have been monitoring the incident minute by minute since it happened.
All relief agencies have provided assistance and are working tirelessly to rescue people. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected families.”
Faride Raful, the Dominican Republic’s minister of interior and police, said that former MLB player Octavio Dotel, 51, was among the dead.
Rescue crews pulled Dotel from the rubble, but he died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, according to Col. Randolfo Rijo Gomez, head of the country’s 911 emergency services.
The Dominican pitcher played for 13 MLB teams, including the Mets, who observed a moment of silence for Dotel before their game on Tuesday.
“We mourn the passing of Octavio Dotel,” the Mets stated in a social media post. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy in the Dominican Republic.”
Dotel was part of a combined no-hitter against the Yankees in June 2003, a team for which he would play three years later.
Another former Major League Baseball player, 44-year-old Tony Blanco, was killed in the roof collapse, according to the Dominican Republic Ministry of Sports and Recreation. The Dominican baseball player has played professionally in Japan and the Dominican Republic, in addition to the Washington Nationals.
“His legacy will live on in the history of national baseball,” the ministry stated via social media. “We share in their grief with their family, friends, and colleagues, and we offer our prayers for their eternal rest.”
Nelsy Milagros Cruz Martinez, governor of Montecristi, was also killed, according to national police and Abinader’s office. She was the sister of former MLB player Nelson Cruz, who posted a statement from the Cruz Martinez family on social media, stating that her “legacy of service and love for others will live forever in our hearts.”
“Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all of the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo,” MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred Jr. said in a statement.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of everyone who has been affected, as well as our colleague Nelson and his family. The relationship between baseball and the Dominican Republic is strong, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans in the game today.”
Many families gathered at the scene looking for their loved ones who were inside the club, according to DJ Shakirax, who was at the nightclub and shared videos from the scene.
An investigation into the cause of the collapse is underway, police said.
There was a fire in 2023 that damaged part of the nightclub, authorities said.
