Former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco are among the dead in a roof collapse at a nightclub in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo.
At least 98 people died and 160 others were injured in the Dominican capital early Tuesday when the roof collapsed at an Jet Set, an iconic nightclub where politicians, athletes and others were attending a merengue concert, authorities said.
Rescuers frantically searched overnight for more survivors in the rubble of in the Dominican Republic’s capital, more than 24 hours after the roof collapsed during a merengue concert attended by politicians, athletes and others. Rescue crews shushed people around them so they could listen for faint cries for help in the rubble of the one-story building in Santo Domingo. Firefighters removed blocks of broken concrete and used wood planks to lift heavy debris as the noise of drills breaking through concrete filled the air.
Late Tuesday night, those still looking for their family and friends gathered around a man playing a guitar outside the club as they sang hymns.
Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez, a native of Manguayabo, a neighborhood in Santo Domingo, announced in an Instagram post late Tuesday night that he had family members in the rubble.
“I just want to say that our hearts are with you. We are all affected,” Martinez said on the post. “I have family members that are still in the rubble, and we don’t know what happened to them, but we just want to be strong like we have always been.”
Emergency operations director Juan Manuel Méndez said Tuesday evening sounds were still being been heard in the rubble and the rescue crews were prioritizing three areas.
“We’re going to search tirelessly for people,” Méndez said.
Jet Set is known for its traditional Monday parties where renowned national and international artists performed.
Officials said at least 160 people were injured in the collapse, among them national lawmaker Bray Vargas. Those confirmed dead included a provincial governor and two former Major League Baseball players.
Montecristi Gov. Nelsy Cruz had called President Luis Abinader at 12:49 a.m., saying the club’s roof had collapsed and she was trapped, first lady Raquel Arbaje told reporters. Officials said Cruz died later at the hospital.
“This is too great a tragedy,” Abraje said, her voice breaking.
The Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic posted on X that MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel died. Officials had earlier rescued Dotel from the debris and transported him to a hospital.
Dotel pitched for 13 different teams over 15 season in MLB, and won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals and last appearing with the Detroit Tigers in 2013.
La Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (LIDOM), expresa su pesar por el fallecimiento del ex lanzador, Octavio Dotel, quien fuere inmortal del Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Dominicano.
Paz a su alma.#Lidom pic.twitter.com/PWh3ztRoRU
— LIDOM (@LIDOMRD) April 8, 2025
Blanco, 44, played one season in MLB with the Washington Nationals before spending eight seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball with the Chunichi Dragons, Yokohama DeNA BayStars, and Orix Buffaloes. Blanco also played in three winter ball seasons with LIDOM’s Estrellas Orientales.
Merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof collapsed, is among the missing, Méndez said.
Pérez’s manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was spattered with blood, told reporters at the scene that the concert began shortly before midnight, with the roof collapsing almost an hour later, killing the group’s saxophonist.
“It happened so quickly. I managed to throw myself into a corner,” he said, adding that he initially thought it was an earthquake.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse.
Jet Set issued a statement saying it was cooperating with authorities. “The loss of human life leaves us in a state of deep pain and dismay,” it said.
It wasn’t clear when the Jet Set building was last inspected.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works told The Associated Press that all officials were on scene and not immediately available. She referred questions to the mayor’s office. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office could not be immediately reached for comment.
Prosecutor Rosalba Ramos told TV station CDN that while “everyone wants to know” what happened, authorities were still focused on finding survivors.
Manuel Olivo Ortiz, whose son attended the concert but did not return home, was among those anxiously waiting outside the club known for its traditional parties held on Monday where renowned national and international artists perform.
“We’re holding on only to God,,” Olivo said.
Also awaiting word was Massiel Cuevas, godmother of 22-year-old Darlenys Batista.
“I’m waiting for her. She’s in there, I know she’s in there,” Cuevas said, firm in her belief that Batista would be pulled out alive.
President Abinader wrote on X that all rescue agencies are “working tirelessly” to help those affected.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred,” he wrote.
Abinader arrived at the scene and hugged those looking for friends and family, some with tears streaming down their faces.
“We have faith in God that we will rescue even more people alive,” he told reporters.
An official with a megaphone stood outside the club imploring the large crowd that had gathered to search for friends and relatives to give ambulances space.
“You have to cooperate with authorities, please,” he said. “We are removing people.”
At one hospital where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading aloud the names of survivors as a crowd gathered around her and yelled out the names of their loved ones.
Meanwhile, dozens of people gathered at the National Institute of Forensic Pathology, which projected pictures of the victims so their loved ones could identify them.
Photo: Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Octavio Dotel throws during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Detroit, Sunday, July 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
