More than 200 people, including 17 US citizens, died after the roof of the popular Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, this week in one of the Caribbean country’s deadliest tragedies.
Footage from the scene early Tuesday morning showed how a celebratory event turned into a disaster. Beloved merengue singer Rubby Pérez is first seen serenading the crowd, accompanied by his orchestra.
Moments later, the club’s disco balls begin to sway before the roof suddenly collapses. Screams and crashing sounds can be heard for several seconds before the video cuts out.
The deadly incident claimed the lives of several prominent Dominicans, including at least two former Major League Baseball players and Pérez, sending shockwaves throughout the country as investigators frantically seek its cause.
“All reasonable possibilities of finding more survivors” had been exhausted,” Dominican emergency authorities said, adding that the focus of their operation is now recovering bodies.
Many who died suffered from traumatic head injuries, according to the health minister.
“Most of the deceased died instantly,” Atallah told local newspaper El Caribe. “Many were sitting; the ceiling fell on their heads and chests.”
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World Americas
What we know about the Dominican nightclub collapse and its victims
By Max Saltman and Angélica Franganillo-Díaz, CNN
6 minute read
Updated 2:36 PM EDT, Mon April 14, 2025
Personnel from civil defense and firefighters work at the Jet Set nightclub following the collapse of its roof in Santo Domingo on April 8, 2025.
Personnel from civil defense and firefighters work at the Jet Set nightclub following the collapse of its roof in Santo Domingo on April 8, 2025. Francesco Spotorno/AFP via Getty Images
CNN
—
More than 200 people, including 17 US citizens, died after the roof of the popular Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, this week in one of the Caribbean country’s deadliest tragedies.
Footage from the scene early Tuesday morning showed how a celebratory event turned into a disaster. Beloved merengue singer Rubby Pérez is first seen serenading the crowd, accompanied by his orchestra.
Moments later, the club’s disco balls begin to sway before the roof suddenly collapses. Screams and crashing sounds can be heard for several seconds before the video cuts out.
The deadly incident claimed the lives of several prominent Dominicans, including at least two former Major League Baseball players and Pérez, sending shockwaves throughout the country as investigators frantically seek its cause.
Here’s what we know:
The search for survivors ends
The collapse killed at least 231 people, Dominican officials said Monday. At least 17 are US citizens, according to a State Department spokesperson last week.
Dominican Health Minister Víctor Atallah said at least 189 people were injured in the disaster.
Former Boston Red Sox player Pedro Martinez looks on during a ceremony honoring the retirement of Hall of Fame Broadcaster Joe Castiglione before the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 29, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts.
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“All reasonable possibilities of finding more survivors” had been exhausted,” Dominican emergency authorities said, adding that the focus of their operation is now recovering bodies.
Many who died suffered from traumatic head injuries, according to the health minister.
“Most of the deceased died instantly,” Atallah told local newspaper El Caribe. “Many were sitting; the ceiling fell on their heads and chests.”
Search efforts have also taken a mental toll on rescue workers. “You hear people who are trapped, screaming for help – it’s a bit difficult,” Daniel Heredia, a member of the Dominican Civil Protection Service, told CNN.
At a Thursday press conference, the director of the country’s emergency services wept as he described the scale of the tragedy.
“Today, I conclude the hardest job I’ve ever done in my 20 years of service,” Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Dominican Emergency Operations Center.
For Juan Salas, director of the country’s Civil Defense group, the nightclub was unrecognizable when he arrived on the scene. “What had been a stage of lights, music, and joy took on a different meaning,” Salas told CNN. “It turned gray, lifeless. It became a scene of people screaming on one side, running on the other.”
Family members of victims who spoke to local media outlets described their frustration at the pace of recovery efforts and the pain of being unable to identify their relatives.
“Just as (President Abinader) brought rescuers from Puerto Rico, he should bring more doctors to speed this up,” one woman told Noticias Sin.