At least 44 people were killed and more than 160 injured when the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, just an hour into a concert Monday night.
The venue, packed with over 300 attendees for a performance by merengue legend Rubby Perez, caved in without warning, leaving victims trapped under debris.
Eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos, with survivors comparing the collapse to an earthquake.
“It happened so quickly,” said Enrique Paulino, manager of the injured singer Rubby Perez. “I managed to throw myself into a corner.”
Perez, 69, survived but remains hospitalized, while his saxophone player was among the dead.
Cause Still Unknown
Authorities have not yet determined what caused the catastrophic failure. The same venue suffered a fire in 2023 after a lightning strike, raising questions about its structural integrity.
Jet Set, once hailed by Billboard as the country’s “place of reference,” released a statement expressing “profound pain and dismay” and pledged full cooperation with investigators.
Rescue Efforts Continue
Emergency teams are still searching for survivors beneath the rubble.
“We presume many are still alive,” said Juan Manuel Mendez, director of emergency operations. “We won’t stop until everyone is accounted for.”
Dominican President Luis Abinader vowed minute-by-minute oversight of rescue efforts, calling the incident a national tragedy.
Echoes of Serbia’s Infrastructure Disaster
The collapse comes just months after a similar tragedy in Serbia, where 16 people, including children, died when a newly renovated train station awning collapsed in Novi Sad. The incident, linked to corruption in Chinese-backed projects, sparked mass protests and toppled the government.
Source: Dominican emergency services, local officials, and international reports.
Reported by M10News | April 8, 2025
