A timeline of the roof collapse at an iconic Dominican club that killed 221
Authorities say the disaster early Tuesday killed 221 people and injured more than 200 others. Nearly two dozen people remain hospitalized, with several of them in critical condition.
The biggest tragedy to strike the Dominican Republic in recent history has raised questions about the safety of infrastructure in the capital and beyond. While authorities have said it's too early to determine why the roof fell, the government has created a technical team to investigate the case.
Here's a timeline of what happened:
Monday, April 7
It was a 'Jet Set Monday,' the day merengue musicians would play at the legendary club every week.
That day, acclaimed singer Rubby Pérez was to take the stage at 9 p.m. In typical Latino fashion, the music didn't start until 11:50 p.m., according to his manager, Enrique Paulino.
As the music began, more than 400 people inside the club applauded the singer known for hits including 'Volveré' and 'El Africano.'
Tuesday, April 8
Halfway through Pérez's set, dust from the ceiling began falling into people drinks. Minutes later, the concrete ceiling collapsed onto the crowd.
At 12:44 am, the country's 911 system received the first of 102 calls that day, according to Randolfo Rijo Gómez, the system's director.
Two minutes later, at 12:46 a.m., Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, called President Luis Abinader.
'She told me, 'Send everyone over here, send all the ambulances,'' Abinader told reporters.
Cruz was rescued but died of injuries at the hospital.
Ninety seconds after the first 911 call was received, police arrived. Eight minutes after that call, the first rescue units arrived.
In less than 25 minutes, authorities activated 25 soldiers, seven firefighting brigades and 77 ambulances, Gómez said.
They deployed dogs, thermal cameras and dozens of specialized equipment.
In his first press conference about the disaster, emergency operations director Juan Manuel Méndez said that at least 13 people had died and more than 70 were injured.
By that afternoon, the number of victims rose to 58 as more than 100 people donated blood at different centers across the capital.
Meanwhile, a crowd of anxious people looking for their loved ones pressed around the remains of the club, forcing authorities to grab a megaphone and ask that they make room for the dozens of ambulances.
The victims identified that day included former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera; Luis Solís, the saxophonist who was playing onstage when the roof collapsed; and the son of the public works minister.
By the end of the day, authorities announced that the number of victims had surged to 98, with the last survivor found early that afternoon.
Wednesday, April 9
In the predawn hours, rescue crews from Puerto Rico and Israel arrived to help local officials search for survivors and victims.
A collective cry was heard when Méndez, the emergency operations director, confirmed they had found the body of Rubby Pérez.
The number of victims soared to 184 as dozens of people began gathering at hospitals and the country's forensic institute in search of their loved ones.
Wakes were held for Dotel and Pérez in the afternoon, with hundreds of people paying their respects, including MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martínez, who said he knew some 50 people who died at Jet Set.
More than 20 victims were identified as being from Haina, the hometown of Pérez located just southwest of Santo Domingo. Its mayor said officials would offer the families free funeral services.
In the evening, the government announced that it was moving to a recovery phase focused on finding bodies.
Thursday, April 10
The government held a memorial for Pérez at Santo Domingo's National Theater that hundreds attended, including the country's president and merengue superstar Juan Luis Guerra.
As the coffin was carried out to the hearse, the crowd released white balloons and spontaneously sang 'Volveré.'
Meanwhile, officials in Haina held a wake for at least 10 victims, with mourners crowding around each coffin to say their final farewells.
By late morning, the emergency operations director announced that crews had finished searching for victims and potential survivors after working for 53 continuous hours. Méndez broke down as he spoke, calling it 'the most difficult task I've had in 20 years."
Officials removed heavy machinery, packed their equipment and evicted people from the area as they fumigated the building.
Crews had rescued 189 people alive from the rubble.
That afternoon, the president's spokesman, Homero Figueroa, announced that a technical team would be created to determine what caused the roof to collapse, and that national and international experts would be part of it.
Friday, April 11
Heavy rain fell as dozens of people remained outside the country's forensics institute, still wearing face masks as they complained about the odor and demanded the bodies of their loved ones.
A screen set up nearby showed the names of victims in different colors. Those in black meant that the bodies were ready but that no one had picked them up, while those in green meant the relatives had identified them.
Under a tarp, government officials met with family members who presented official documents of their loved ones in order to pick up their remains.
Meanwhile, doctors at public hospitals treating the injured said Friday that none died overnight. Dr. Julio Landrón said 'a lot of them' will have permanent injuries, ranging from paralysis to a damaged finger.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
6 hours ago
- The Hill
Terence Stamp, General Zod in early Superman films, dies at 87
LONDON (AP) — Terence Stamp, the British actor who often played the role of a complex villain, including that of General Zod in the early Superman films, has died. He was 87. His death on Sunday was disclosed in a death notice published online, prompting a wave of tributes from and an array of fans and those close to him within the industry, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, better known as Bafta. Bill Duke, who starred with Stamp in director Steven Soderbergh's 1999 crime drama 'The Limey,' said he was 'deeply saddened' to hear of his death. 'He brought a rare intensity to the screen, but off-screen he carried himself with warmth, grace, and generosity,' he said on Facebook. The London-born Stamp started his film career with 1962's seafaring 'Billy Budd,' for which he earned nominations for Oscar and Bafta awards. Stamp's six decades in the business were peppered with highlights, including his touching portrayal of the transsexual Bernadette in 1994's 'The Adventure of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,' the second of his two Bafta nominations. But it will be his portrayal of the bearded Zod in 1978's 'Superman' and its sequel 'Superman II' two years later that most people associate with Stamp. As the Kryptonian arch enemy to Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel, Stamp introduced a darker, charming and vulnerable — more human — element to the franchise, one that's been replicated in countless superhero movies ever since. Stamp started his acting career on stage in the late 1950s, where he acted in repertory theatre and met Michael Caine, who was five years older than himself. The pair lived together in a flat in central London while looking for their big break. He got his break with 'Billy Budd' and Stamp embarked on a career that would see him in the early 1960s be part of the 'angry young men' movement that was introducing an element of social realism into British moviemaking. That was perhaps most notable in the 1965 adaptation of John Fowles' creepy debut novel 'The Collector,' where he played the awkward and lonely Freddie Clegg, who kidnapped Samantha Eggar's Miranda Grey in a warped attempt to win her love. It was a performance that would earn the young Stamp, fresh off his Oscar nomination, the best actor award at that year's Cannes Film Festival. While part of that 1960s British movement, Stamp learned from some of the most seasoned actors from the classical era, including Laurence Olivier. 'I worked with Olivier briefly on my second movie (1962's 'Term of Trial'),' Stamp recalled in an interview with the AP in 2013. 'And he said to me, 'You should always study your voice.'' Stamp then segued into a spot-on Olivier impersonation, continuing, ''Because, as you get older, your looks go, but your voice will become empowered.'' His career took a bit of a hiatus from the late 1960s after he missed out on the role of James Bond to replace Sean Connery, that included a years-long stint in India and which saw him embrace a more holistic approach to his self. It was the unexpected role of General Zod that brought him back to the limelight. His career, which also saw him play the role of Finis Valoru, the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, in 1999's first Star Wars prequel 'The Phantom Menace,' ended with the 2021 psychological thriller 'Last Night In Soho.' Born in London's East End on July 22, 1938, Stamp lived a colorful life, particularly during the 1960s when he had a string of romances, including with actress Julie Christie and model Jean Shrimpton. He married 29-year-old Elizabeth O'Rourke in 2002 at the age of 64 but the couple divorced six years later. Stamp did not have any children. Stamp retained his looks as the years ticked by, his natural handsomeness hardened by a more grizzled look. He generally sought to keep his standards high, but up to a point. 'I don't do crappy movies, unless I haven't got the rent,' he said.
New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
FBI urged to probe NYC's seedy 'Market of Sweethearts'
Queens activists are demanding the FBI investigate the 'foreign national' crime syndicates turning seedy Roosevelt Avenue into a 'gangland' — claiming the criminals pose a national security threat. 'We request that you initiate an investigation into what we understand are gangs engaging in criminal enterprises including human trafficking, illegal narcotics sales and the mass distribution of fraudulent documents which poses a national security threat,' wrote Rosa Sanchez, head of the Restore Roosevelt Avenue Coalition, and Democratic district leader Hiram Monserrate in an Aug. 14 letter to FBI Director Kash Patel. Federal intervention is required because state and local laws are limited and inadequate to address the problem, the activists said. Advertisement 5 A suspected sex worker seen outside of a brothel on Roosevelt Avenue near 89th Street in Queens on Aug. 17, 2025. NY Post 5 Local activists are calling on the FBI to investigate 'foreign national' crime syndicates operating on Roosevelt Avenue. NY Post In their missive, Sanchez and Monserrate thanked the FBI and other agencies in the Trump administration for prosecuting members of migrant gangs — including the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua and the 18th Street gang, which regularly extort brothels, beat rivals and sell drugs and phony IDs to finance an illicit network based in El Salvador. Advertisement 'However, both gangs continue to operate in our community and we impress upon you that more needs to be done to keep our community safe,' they told the FBI director. They noted that the NYPD has made more than 500 prostitution-related arrests thus far this year along what is called 'The Market of Sweethearts,' but brothels continue to operate. 5 Suspected sex workers on the sidewalk in the 'Market of Sweethearts' on July 27, 2025. New York Post Many of them are controlled by Chinese gangs, Sanchez and Monserrate said. Advertisement 'According to our sources several locations are being operated and controlled by Chinese organized crime. … The information we have continued gathering is unsettling,' the Corona-Elmhurst neighborhood leaders said. Monserrate said the Triads are one of the Chinese groups involved in sex-trafficking. 5 Illegal street vendors seen on Roosevelt Avenue near 89th Street in Jackson Heights on Aug. 17, 2025. Gregory P. Mango 5 Vendors set up on the sidewalk in Jackson Heights near the 'Market of Sweethearts' on Aug. 17, 2025. Gregory P. Mango Advertisement The 18th Street Gang members are still selling fraudulent green cards, Social Security and driver's licenses on Roosevelt Avenue between 80th and 84th Streets, too, the letter writers said. 'Organized crime by both Latino and Chinese foreign nationals continues to wreak havoc in our community,' Sanchez and Monserrate said. 'We urge your agency to respond and rid our community of modern slavery and a dangerous criminal element that operates flagrantly.' They forwarded suspected addresses of brothels to the FBI. In the past year, The Post has exposed the seediness, crime, drug-peddling and illegal vending along the Roosevelt Avenue corridor. Gov. Kathy Hochul last year even dispatched state troopers to assist the NYPD to crack down the lawlessness.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Iraq starts excavation of large mass grave left by Islamic State
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi officials have begun the excavation of what is believed to be a mass grave left behind by the Islamic State extremist group during its rampage across the country a decade ago. Local authorities are working with the judiciary, forensic investigations, Iraq's Martyrs' Foundation, and the directorate of mass graves to carry out the excavation of the site of a sink hole in al-Khafsa, south of the northern city of Mosul, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reported Sunday. Ahmad Qusay al-Asady, head of the Martyrs Foundation's mass graves excavation department, told The Associated Press that his team began work at Khasfa on Aug. 9 at the request of Nineveh province's Gov. Abdulqadir al-Dakhil. The operation is initially limited to gathering visible human remains and surface evidence while preparing for a full exhumation that officials say will require international support. After an initial 15 days of work, the foundation's Mosul teams will build a database and start collecting DNA samples from families of suspected victims. Al-Asady explained that laboratory processing and a DNA database must come first to ensure proper identification. Full exhumations can only proceed once specialized assistance is secured to navigate the site's hazards, including sulfur water and unexploded ordnance. Khasfa is 'a very complicated site,' he said. Based on unverified accounts from witnesses and families and other unofficial testimonies, authorities estimate that thousands of bodies could be buried there, he said. Scores of mass graves containing thousands of bodies of people believed to have been killed by the extremist group have been found in Iraq and Syria. At its peak, IS ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom in Iraq and Syria and was notorious for its brutality. It beheaded civilians and enslaved and raped thousands of women from the Yazidi community, one of Iraq's oldest religious minorities. The group was defeated in Iraq in July 2017, when Iraqi forces captured the northern city of Mosul. Three months later, it suffered a major blow when Kurdish forces captured the Syrian northern city of Raqqa, which was the group's de-facto capital. The war against IS officially ended in March 2019, when U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces captured the eastern Syrian town of Baghouz, which was the last sliver of land the extremists controlled. Rabah Nouri Attiyah, a lawyer who has worked on more than 70 cases of missing people in Nineveh, told the AP that information he obtained from the foundation and different Iraqi courts during his investigations points to Khasfa as 'the largest mass grave in modern Iraqi history." Al-Asady, however, said investigators 'cannot confirm yet if it is the largest mass grave' to be found in Iraq, 'but according to the size of the space, we estimate it to be one of the largest.' Attiyah said roughly 70% of the human remains at Khasfa are believed to belong to Iraqi army and police personnel, with other victims including Yazidis. He said he has interviewed numerous eyewitnesses from the area who saw IS fighters bring people there by bus and kill them. 'Many of them were decapitated,' he said. Attiyah's own uncle and cousin were police officers killed by IS, and he is among those hoping to identify and recover the remains of loved ones. Testimonies and witness statements, as well as findings from other mass graves in Nineveh, indicate that most of the military, police and other security forces personnel killed by IS are expected to be found at Khasfa, along with Yazidis from Sinjar and Shiite victims from Tal Afar, he said.
