The death toll from a roof collapse at a busy nightclub in the Dominican Republic has risen to 218, according to the head of rescue operations on Thursday.
Since the collapse of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the Caribbean nation’s greatest calamity in decades, rescuers have worked tirelessly to extract people from the ruins.
“Unfortunately and with regret, (there are) 218 people dead as preliminary data,” Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Centre (COE), told reporters.
He stated that 189 people had been “rescued alive” since the collapse of the roof of the nightclub.
Local media indicated that between 500 and 1,000 people were inside the club at the time of the disaster.
Among those killed were legendary merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was playing on stage when the roof collapsed, as well as two former Major League Baseball players and a local mayor.
Helicopter photographs revealed a large hole in the roof of the structure in the nation’s capital.
“Our rescue workers are already concluding the search,” Mendez said.
“We are saddened by this tragedy that has so saddened the Dominican people.”
Late Wednesday, authorities declared that no more survivors could be found.
The administration stated that it will launch an investigation into the incident as soon as rescue operations are concluded.
