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On the evening of April 8, 2025, what was speculated to be a night of music and celebration on the iconic Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo changed into one of many worst tragedies within the Dominican Republic’s latest historical past.
The collapse of the venue’s roof throughout a live performance left a devastating toll: over 200 folks lifeless, together with distinguished figures from the world of sports activities, politics, and tradition. This occasion has shaken the nation—and the world.
An evening nobody will overlook.
Jet Set, situated only one block from the Santo Domingo boardwalk (Malecón), was greater than only a nightclub: it was an emblem of Dominican nightlife.
Each Monday, its dwell music nights drew locals and vacationers alike. That fateful evening, the headliner was Rubby Pérez, often known as “the loudest voice in merengue.” A whole lot paid $32 per ticket to benefit from the present.
Shortly after midnight, the festive temper turned to chaos. In keeping with witnesses, the roof started to present method—first mud started to fall, then all the ceiling collapsed.
Movies captured by concertgoers present the final seconds of normalcy earlier than catastrophe struck: disco lights swinging, screams, and the deafening roar of concrete crashing down.
The victims: a nation in mourning.
The collapse claimed the lives of 221 folks, based on official figures on the finish of rescue efforts on April 10. Among the many deceased have been well-known names each inside and outdoors the Dominican Republic:
- Rubby Pérez, 69, was a merengue legend. His demise, confirmed Wednesday after being pulled from the rubble, left a void in Caribbean music. His daughter, Zulinka, who carried out alongside him, miraculously survived, guided by her father’s calming phrases beneath the wreckage.
- Octavio Dotel, former Main League Baseball pitcher, died at age 51. Over his profession, he performed for 13 groups, together with the Mets, and was a sports activities idol. He was pulled alive from the rubble however died en path to the hospital.
- Nelsy Cruz, governor of Montecristi and sister of MLB star Nelson Cruz, additionally misplaced her life. Her final communication was a telephone name to President Luis Abinader, alerting him that she was trapped.
- Tony Blanco, one other former skilled baseball participant, was recognized among the many victims, including to the Dominican sports activities neighborhood’s grief.
Different notable losses embody designer Martin Polanco, who had dressed artists corresponding to Daddy Yankee, and Eduardo Guarionex Estrella, son of the Minister of Public Works.
Rapid response.
Rescue efforts started instantly. Firefighters, civil protection groups, and volunteers labored across the clock. Drones and heavy equipment have been deployed to clear the rubble, whereas hospitals throughout Santo Domingo acquired the injured.
Of the 189 folks rescued alive, not less than 23 remained hospitalized as of April 10, with eight in vital situation.
President Luis Abinader, visibly shaken, visited the location and promised help for the households. «We’re working minute by minute,» he posted on social media.
Mayor Carolina Mejía highlighted the acts of solidarity, together with Dominicans providing espresso to rescuers and even a Costa Rican vacationer who joined the rescue efforts.
What went incorrect?
It’s nonetheless unclear what induced the collapse. Jet Set, a former cinema turned nightclub, was 50 years previous.
Authorities have launched an investigation to find out whether or not there was negligence in upkeep, or if exterior elements corresponding to climate or structural flaws performed a job.
Studies started rising on social media:
The membership’s proprietor, Antonio Espaillat, was in a foreign country on the time of the incident however returned to cooperate with the investigation.
The tragedy has reignited the controversy over public constructing security. In a rustic the place music and dance are the guts of the tradition, venues like Jet Set are very important gathering areas.
But, the dearth of standard inspections and stringent laws could also be behind this catastrophe.
Impression on society.
The magnitude of the tragedy goes past numbers. Jet Set wasn’t only a get together spot—it was a gathering level for the Dominican elite: politicians, athletes, bankers, and artists.
The lack of so many public figures has struck a deep nationwide chord. From the Baseball Corridor of Fame, the place David Ortiz attended Dotel’s wake, to the Nationwide Theater, the place Rubby Pérez was mourned, grief is widespread.
Social media has been flooded with messages of ache and solidarity. “There are not any phrases to explain this loss,” stated former MLB pitcher Pedro Martínez, who knew over 50 of the victims.
Overseas, the Dominican diaspora additionally mourns, with not less than 9 U.S. residents confirmed among the many deceased.
A mourning that’s simply begun.
As households start to bury their family members, the nation faces the problem of therapeutic.
Mass funerals, like Pérez’s on the Nationwide Theater, mirror the emotional toll.
Pictures of individuals holding images of lacking relations outdoors the Nationwide Institute of Forensic Sciences are a stark reminder of the continued anguish.
The federal government has promised psychological help for these affected and an intensive investigation.
However solutions won’t come rapidly. The transition from rescue to restoration, introduced on April 10, marks the start of a protracted course of to know what occurred—and the best way to forestall it from occurring once more.
This tragedy confronts us with an uncomfortable reality: the locations the place we search pleasure can develop into websites of sorrow if security isn’t prioritized.
The deaths of icons like Rubby Pérez, Octavio Dotel, and Nelsy Cruz not solely rob the Dominican Republic of expertise and management—they expose an unresolved debt to prevention.
Because the merengue falls silent and stadiums go nonetheless, we should ask ourselves: What extra has to occur earlier than human life comes first?
The get together is over at Jet Set, however the combat for justice and accountability has solely simply begun.
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