Dominican nightclub collapse, at least 66 dead...Two former MLB players also died
Apr 09, 2025
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At least 150 people were injured, and the size of the victims could change as the search for buried people is underway.
According to foreign media such as the New York Post, the roof suddenly collapsed at 'JetSet Club' in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, early in the morning.
At the time, singer Ruby Perez was performing at the club, and it was estimated that about 1,000 people were inside.
The Accident Countermeasures Headquarters has found that 66 people have died so far, but the number of deaths could increase due to the injured and buried.
Former MLB pitchers Octavio Dotel (51) and Tony Blanco (45) are known to have died.
Dottel started as a promising New York Mets pitcher in 1999, played for the New York Yankees in 2006, and became the world series champion in 2011 with the st. Louis Cardinals.
Blanco is a batter who played for the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals and played mostly in Japanese professional baseball. The two are said to have visited the club to watch a performance together.
Governor Nelsicruz of Montechristy was also killed in the accident.
She is the sister of former major league slugger Nelson Cruz.
Nelson Cruz is a Dominican baseball legend who once belonged to the same teams as Kim Ha-sung, Lee Dae-ho, and Choi Ji-man in the MLB.
Authorities are currently struggling to rescue the buried.
Juan Manuel Mendes, director of the Santo Domingo Crisis Management Center, said "We estimate that many of them are still alive, and we will not give up until not a single person remains under the rubble."
The cause of the roof's collapse is not yet clear.
President Luis Abinader, who visited the disaster site, said "I am deeply sorry for the tragedy at the nightclub. We are monitoring the accident on a minute-by-minute basis since the incident occurred" he said.
Mayor of Santo Domingo, Carolina Mejia de Guezi, said "It is devastating that a terrible tragedy has occurred. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims."
The Dominican Republic declared April 8-10 as National Day of Mourning.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
