Dominican families plead for release of loved ones' remains after roof collapse tragedy amid autopsy delays
No nation in the world is equipped to conduct hundreds of autopsies in one day, the Minister of Public Health Victor Atallah said; the death toll as of Friday was 225 people.
SANTO DOMINGO — Identifying and conducting autopsies for the 225 people killed in the Jet Set nightclub's roof collapse four days ago has been a task so daunting it overwhelmed the country's morgue.
Heartbroken families hoping to receive the remains of their loved ones have been waiting outside the Dominican Republic's institute of pathology for days, begging authorities to release the bodies so they can start to mourn their relatives.
Róger de la Rosa, who flew from the United States after finding out on Wednesday that his sister, Rosie de la Rosa Ortega, was one of the fatal victims, was desperately demanding answers from forensic officials on Friday morning. He questioned the need for the autopsies.
“No one has faced me,” de la Rosa said in Spanish. “No one has the courage to look me in the eyes.”
Others like Ana Julia Mejía, who was waiting to receive her mother’s remains, had the same question.
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