How a star-studded Dominican Republic nightclub event became one of country's deadliest tragedies
Celebrities, officials and Dominicans from the U.S. were among the hundreds who went to see a renowned merengue star perform; now a nation is in disbelief after a roof collapse leaves 184 people dead.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Two former Major League Baseball stars. An iconic singer. A renowned fashion designer. A prominent banking family. A governor. Young professionals.
They were among the at least 221 people who were killed Tuesday when what had started as a celebratory night turned into one of the Dominican Republic’s deadliest events. The roof of the bustling Jet Set nightclub collapsed, plunging an entire nation into mourning.
In this Caribbean capital, the deaths felt personal to so many, with local journalists breaking down as they recounted what was taking place and residents trying to come to terms with how it could have happened — and taken the lives of so many, including prominent Dominicans.
The death toll is likely to reach even higher as countless others remained missing Wednesday, with search crews continuing to sort through the rubble and forensic specialists trying to identify victims.
“We’ve never seen an event like this,” Carolina Lorenzo, a Dominican journalist covering the tragedy, said in Spanish. “To see so many dead people pulled out and the families waiting for information, it’s desperate.”
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