Dominican Nightclub Collapse: Death Toll Reaches 184

Photo : AFP

A sad and big accident happened in the Dominican Republic. The roof of a nightclub fell down in the early morning on Tuesday. This happened at the Jet Set nightclub, which is in the capital city, Santo Domingo. The club was very famous and had been open for many years.

Many people were inside the club when the roof broke. More than 500 people got hurt, and sadly, 184 people died. This is one of the worst accidents in the country in many years.

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The rescue team worked for two days to find people under the broken building. They used dogs to help search and got help from other countries too. On Wednesday night, the rescue team said they were stopping the search because they had looked everywhere. Now, they are only taking out the bodies.

Many family members waited outside the club, in hospitals, and at the morgue. They were very worried and crying, hoping to find their loved ones alive.

A famous singer named Rubby Perez was singing on the stage when the roof fell. He died in the accident. His daughter ran outside and stayed safe. Two well-known baseball players also died. Their names were Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco.

One man, Antonio Hernandez, said his son worked in the club. He saw many bodies taken out, and one body looked like his son. But he was too scared to check. “I can’t look. I feel very sick,” he said.

Another woman, Mercedes Lopez, was looking for her son. She said, “We looked in all the hospitals and names lists. He is not there.”

People from other countries shared their sadness too. A leader from the United States said that one American also died. Even the Pope sent his kind words and prayers.

Rubby Perez was loved by many people. He sang popular songs like "Volveré" and "Enamorado de Ella." Many singers and fans sent goodbye messages. A singer from Puerto Rico wrote, “You left us with pain.” Rubby’s old band leader said he felt very sad and called him a “music star.”

The president of the country said there will be three days of mourning.

A woman named Iris Pena, who was inside the club, told her story. She said dirt started falling into her drink. Then a stone broke her table. She quickly ran to the door to escape. “It felt like an earthquake,” she said.

The nightclub owners said they are helping the police to find out what caused the roof to fall. This accident is now one of the biggest in the country's history. The last time something this bad happened was in 2005, when a jail fire killed over 130 people.