A devastating roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in the capital of the Dominican Republic has left at least 184 people dead, authorities confirmed late Wednesday, in what has become one of the deadliest disasters in the country’s recent history.
According to Reuters, the collapse occurred Tuesday during a packed concert featuring beloved Dominican merengue singer Rubby Perez, turning a night of music and celebration into a harrowing scene of chaos and loss. For two days, emergency crews have worked tirelessly to locate survivors, while families gathered outside the wreckage anxiously awaited news.
A drone view shows workers during recovery efforts at the site of the collapsed Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
“We are not going to abandon nobody,” said Juan Manuel Mendez, head of the Dominican Republic’s emergency operations center. “We will continue to work until the last body is found.”
But after more than 24 hours without a single survivor being pulled from the debris, officials acknowledged that the operation was shifting from rescue to recovery.
“In the coming hours there will be a transition from a search and rescue phase to the recovery of the bodies phase,” said presidential spokesperson Homero Figueroa.
Relatives and friends of the missing clutched photographs of their loved ones, sharing details about the clothes they were wearing that night in the hope it might help identify those disfigured in the collapse.
As of Wednesday, 155 people had been rescued and transported to hospitals for treatment. However, the total number of guests inside the club at the time of the collapse remains uncertain.
From Celebration to National Mourning
What was meant to be a festive event with politicians, celebrities, and sports icons in attendance quickly became a national tragedy. Among those killed was Rubby Perez himself, whose music had defined generations of Dominican dance and culture.
A man wearing vest and helmet gestures while using a cellphone during the recovery efforts at the site of the collapsed Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo
In a statement, the Ministry of Culture called him “one of the great figures of the country’s art” and announced a tribute to honor his legacy.
Funeral services for the deceased began on Wednesday. President Luis Abinader personally attended the service for Nelsy Cruz, governor of the northern Monte Cristi province and sister of former Major League Baseball star Nelson Cruz.
“We are left to mourn her and the other victims,” President Abinader said solemnly.
The list of victims includes a number of high-profile figures, including former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, former slugger Tony Blanco, and the son of the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Public Works and Communications.
As families mourn and the nation reels, questions are now turning toward accountability and the cause of the collapse. Authorities have yet to announce the results of an investigation into the structural failure, which took place suddenly just after midnight.
