Not less than 15 folks have been killed and dozens injured when the roof of a nightclub collapsed early Tuesday within the Dominican Republic, in keeping with emergency administration officers.
In a collection of social media posts, the authorities stated rescuers made 101 ambulance rides to hospitals after the roof collapsed on the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the capital.
However so many individuals have been injured that ambulances initially needed to carry two or three to the hospital at a time, that means greater than 100 folks have been injured, Juan Manuel Méndez, the director of the Emergency Operations Heart, stated in an Instagram video shared by the nationwide police.
“We’re taking out the folks we are able to rescue alive,” Mr. Méndez stated. “You may hear folks asking to be helped.”
Search and rescue operations have been persevering with, the authorities stated shortly earlier than 7 a.m.
Rubby Pérez, a merengue singer, was scheduled to carry out on the membership on Monday night time, in keeping with Jet Set’s Instagram account.
Videos circulating on social media and verified by The New York Occasions confirmed Mr. Pérez performing to a bunch of revelers. The digicam started shaking and folks began screaming as a big chandelier dropped from the ceiling. One other video, filmed within the aftermath and likewise verified by The Occasions, captured the in depth destruction, revealing that just about the whole ceiling had collapsed, with rubble masking the stage and dance ground as rescuers searched the wreckage.
When requested at a information briefing concerning the situation of Mr. Pérez, the authorities stated they have been nonetheless making an attempt to gather data on these injured.
“Our metropolis wakes as much as a horrible tragedy,” Carolina Mejía de Garrigó, the mayor of Santo Domingo, wrote on social media, extending her condolences to households affected by the tragedy.
Jet Set, which has been open for greater than 45 years, is likely one of the most well-known golf equipment within the Dominican Republic. It’s particularly well-known for its Monday exhibits, a staple of stay music within the metropolis.
Nader Ibrahim contributed reporting from London.
