Dominican Republic authorities said that on April 8, the roof of a ritzy Santo Domingo nightclub collapsed, killing at least 79 people, including a provincial governor named Nelsy Cruz.
Another 160 people were injured.
Jet Set discotheque is popular among politicians and athletes, and on Tuesday, many were attending a merengue concert when the ceiling of the one-story structure unexpectedly caved in and fell onto patrons.
“We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble,” the Dominican Republic’s Center of Emergency Operations director, Juan Manuel Méndez, told media outlets.
Cruz governed the Montecristi province on the northwest side of the Caribbean island and is the sister of MLB player Nelson Cruz, a seven-time MLB All-Star.
First Lady Raquel Abraje told reporters that Nelsy Cruz had called President Luis Abinader at 12:49 a.m., reporting that she was trapped and explaining that the roof had collapsed.
Officials said that Nelsy Cruz later died in the hospital.
Firefighters were seen sifting through the rubble, lifting chunks of broken concrete and sawing wood into planks to remove debris.
Emergency workers are still searching for victims who may still be alive amid the shrill sound of drilling through concrete.
Neither the Dominican Republic’s Center of Emergency Operations nor police responded to requests for comment.
“This is too great a tragedy,” Abraje said in a broken voice.
MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel was also caught in the incident. Although officials rescued him from the debris and transported him to a local hospital, the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic wrote in a post on social media platform X that Dotel had died as well.
Other injured parties, according to officials, include legislator Bray Vargas and merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof fell.
This is the second time this year that the Dominican Republic has captured the attention of the worldwide press.
In March, University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, 21, vanished while she was vacationing in the Punta Cana resort town.
She was declared missing on March 7 after last being seen at the beach at 4:50 a.m., when she and other guests left the Hotel Riu Republica resort during an unexpected power outage.
Joshua Riibe, 22, was questioned about her disappearance. Riibe, who is a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, and Konanki were both guests at Hotel Riu Republica.
Konanki had traveled to the popular resort town Punta Cana with five female friends on March 3 at the start of their spring break.
After Konanki’s parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi Konanki, wrote a letter asking authorities in the Caribbean nation to declare their daughter deceased, Riibe returned to the United States without incident.
