Latest news with #Maribel
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Owner of Dominican nightclub says plaster tiles often fell from ceiling years before deadly roof collapse
Two weeks after the roof of a popular nightclub collapsed and killed more than 200 people in the Dominican Republic, the venue's owner acknowledged that the ceiling was made of plaster tiles that frequently fell and said the venue never received a structural review from Dominican authorities. Businessman Antonio Espaillat, who co-owns the establishment with his mother, said in an interview with CNN affiliate Telesistema that aired on Wednesday that the tiles were frequently replaced after they were damaged by water leaking from the air conditioning units positioned on the roof. Espaillat said that this happened regularly throughout all the years that he has operated the venue – even on the very day of the collapse. More than 300 people were inside Jet Set nightclub in the capital of Santo Domingo when the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. on the morning of April 8 during a performance of merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, authorities said. Espaillat's own sister was among those trapped under the rubble, he said. The disaster left at least 232 dead, including Pérez, and more than 180 injured, according to official figures. Espaillat stated that in the nightclub's 30 years of operation, the venue was 'never' subjected to a structural review by authorities during routine safety and health inspections, nor did he discuss the building's structural integrity with private engineers. The structure only received checks from firefighters and the departments of Labor and Health, he said. He said that he did not know the exact weight of the air conditioners located on the roof or if they affected the structure of the building. Espaillat asserted that he had never received any formal warnings about the risks posed by having a ceiling in disrepair and that he is 'the first one who wants to know what happened.' 'Since this happened, I have had no life,' he said, 'I am completely devastated.' CNN has reached out to Espaillat about the comments he made during the interview but has not received a response. Espaillat said he was informed about the collapse by his sister Maribel, who called him while trapped under the rubble. 'She said: 'Antonio, something incredible has happened… we heard an explosion, and the entire roof has collapsed,'' Espaillat told Telesistema. Maribel later told local newspaper Diario Libre that her husband, Daniel Vera Pichardo, covered her with his body to protect her from the falling roof. The two survived the incident. Espaillat, who was in Las Vegas for a business conference, said he flew to Santo Domingo the next day. 'I had no idea and couldn't believe it was something of this magnitude,' he said. unknown content item - The relatives of Virgilio Rafael Cruz Aponte, who died in the collapse, have filed a civil suit against the nightclub owners and local authorities, claiming the disaster was the result of structural negligence and failures in state supervision, Félix Portes, the plaintiffs' lawyer, told CNN. Espaillat has not commented on the case. Two days after the tragedy, the Dominican government pledged to form a technical team to forensically investigate what caused such a disaster. CNN has asked Dominican authorities for an update on the investigation's progress. Espaillat has said that he has been in contact with the families of employees who are deceased or injured and intends to accompany them in this process. 'I am here, and I am going to face everything. I am not going anywhere; I will be here, and everything that is within my reach and everything I can do, I will do,' he emphasized. When questioned about whether this could have been avoided, Espaillat said he felt 'powerless.' 'If there had been something that caught my attention or that they (my staff and private contractors) had told me: 'look, we need to check this, that, or the other,' I would have gladly done it,' he said.
CNN
24-04-2025
- CNN
Owner of Dominican nightclub says plaster tiles often fell from ceiling before deadly roof collapse
Two weeks after the roof of a popular nightclub collapsed and killed more than 200 people in the Dominican Republic, the venue's owner acknowledged that the ceiling was made of plaster tiles that frequently fell and said the venue never received a structural review from Dominican authorities. Businessman Antonio Espaillat, who co-owns the establishment with his mother, said in an interview with CNN affiliate Telesistema that aired on Wednesday that the tiles were frequently replaced after they were damaged by water leaking from the air conditioning units positioned on the roof. Espaillat said that this happened regularly throughout all the years that he has operated the venue – even on the very day of the collapse. More than 300 people were inside Jet Set nightclub in the capital of Santo Domingo when the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. on the morning of April 8 during a performance of merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, authorities said. Espaillat's own sister was among those trapped under the rubble, he said. The disaster left at least 232 dead, including Pérez, and more than 180 injured, according to official figures. Espaillat stated that in the nightclub's 30 years of operation, the venue was 'never' subjected to a structural review by authorities during routine safety and health inspections, nor did he discuss the building's structural integrity with private engineers. The structure only received checks from firefighters and the departments of Labor and Health, he said. He said that he did not know the exact weight of the air conditioners located on the roof or if they affected the structure of the building. Espaillat asserted that he had never received any formal warnings about the risks posed by having a ceiling in disrepair and that he is 'the first one who wants to know what happened.' 'Since this happened, I have had no life,' he said, 'I am completely devastated.' CNN has reached out to Espaillat about the comments he made during the interview but has not received a response. Espaillat said he was informed about the collapse by his sister Maribel, who called him while trapped under the rubble. 'She said: 'Antonio, something incredible has happened… we heard an explosion, and the entire roof has collapsed,'' Espaillat told Telesistema. Maribel later told local newspaper Diario Libre that her husband, Daniel Vera Pichardo, covered her with his body to protect her from the falling roof. The two survived the incident. Espaillat, who was in Las Vegas for a business conference, said he flew to Santo Domingo the next day. 'I had no idea and couldn't believe it was something of this magnitude,' he said. Prev Next The relatives of Virgilio Rafael Cruz Aponte, who died in the collapse, have filed a civil suit against the nightclub owners and local authorities, claiming the disaster was the result of structural negligence and failures in state supervision, Félix Portes, the plaintiffs' lawyer, told CNN. Espaillat has not commented on the case. Two days after the tragedy, the Dominican government pledged to form a technical team to forensically investigate what caused such a disaster. CNN has asked Dominican authorities for an update on the investigation's progress. Espaillat has said that he has been in contact with the families of employees who are deceased or injured and intends to accompany them in this process. 'I am here, and I am going to face everything. I am not going anywhere; I will be here, and everything that is within my reach and everything I can do, I will do,' he emphasized. When questioned about whether this could have been avoided, Espaillat said he felt 'powerless.' 'If there had been something that caught my attention or that they (my staff and private contractors) had told me: 'look, we need to check this, that, or the other,' I would have gladly done it,' he said.
CNN
24-04-2025
- CNN
Owner of Dominican nightclub says plaster tiles often fell from ceiling before deadly roof collapse
Two weeks after the roof of a popular nightclub collapsed and killed more than 200 people in the Dominican Republic, the venue's owner acknowledged that the ceiling was made of plaster tiles that frequently fell and said the venue never received a structural review from Dominican authorities. Businessman Antonio Espaillat, who co-owns the establishment with his mother, said in an interview with CNN affiliate Telesistema that aired on Wednesday that the tiles were frequently replaced after they were damaged by water leaking from the air conditioning units positioned on the roof. Espaillat said that this happened regularly throughout all the years that he has operated the venue – even on the very day of the collapse. More than 300 people were inside Jet Set nightclub in the capital of Santo Domingo when the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. on the morning of April 8 during a performance of merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, authorities said. Espaillat's own sister was among those trapped under the rubble, he said. The disaster left at least 232 dead, including Pérez, and more than 180 injured, according to official figures. Espaillat stated that in the nightclub's 30 years of operation, the venue was 'never' subjected to a structural review by authorities during routine safety and health inspections, nor did he discuss the building's structural integrity with private engineers. The structure only received checks from firefighters and the departments of Labor and Health, he said. He said that he did not know the exact weight of the air conditioners located on the roof or if they affected the structure of the building. Espaillat asserted that he had never received any formal warnings about the risks posed by having a ceiling in disrepair and that he is 'the first one who wants to know what happened.' 'Since this happened, I have had no life,' he said, 'I am completely devastated.' CNN has reached out to Espaillat about the comments he made during the interview but has not received a response. Espaillat said he was informed about the collapse by his sister Maribel, who called him while trapped under the rubble. 'She said: 'Antonio, something incredible has happened… we heard an explosion, and the entire roof has collapsed,'' Espaillat told Telesistema. Maribel later told local newspaper Diario Libre that her husband, Daniel Vera Pichardo, covered her with his body to protect her from the falling roof. The two survived the incident. Espaillat, who was in Las Vegas for a business conference, said he flew to Santo Domingo the next day. 'I had no idea and couldn't believe it was something of this magnitude,' he said. Prev Next The relatives of Virgilio Rafael Cruz Aponte, who died in the collapse, have filed a civil suit against the nightclub owners and local authorities, claiming the disaster was the result of structural negligence and failures in state supervision, Félix Portes, the plaintiffs' lawyer, told CNN. Espaillat has not commented on the case. Two days after the tragedy, the Dominican government pledged to form a technical team to forensically investigate what caused such a disaster. CNN has asked Dominican authorities for an update on the investigation's progress. Espaillat has said that he has been in contact with the families of employees who are deceased or injured and intends to accompany them in this process. 'I am here, and I am going to face everything. I am not going anywhere; I will be here, and everything that is within my reach and everything I can do, I will do,' he emphasized. When questioned about whether this could have been avoided, Espaillat said he felt 'powerless.' 'If there had been something that caught my attention or that they (my staff and private contractors) had told me: 'look, we need to check this, that, or the other,' I would have gladly done it,' he said.
Euronews
14-03-2025
- Euronews
Possible mass killing site discovered in Mexico
A group of people searching for their missing relatives have uncovered a possible clandestine crematorium in Mexico's western state of Jalisco. At a ranch in Teuchitlan, 60 kilometres west of Guadalajara, the country's second largest city, the Jalisco Search Warriors discovered heaps of clothing, dozens of shoes and some bone fragments last week. The location is thought to have been used as a recruitment and training centre by the Jalisco New Generation cartel, the state's dominant criminal organisation, according to Mexican media. The site was seized in September by Mexican authorities, who said at the time that they had arrested 10 people, freed two hostages and found a body wrapped in plastic. However, their investigation then went silent. After receiving an anonymous tip-off, members of the Jalisco Search Warriors, one of dozens of collectives looking for disappeared people across Mexico, entered the ranch and made their discovery. 'A lot of families have stepped forward to identify items of clothing,' said Maribel, a member of the search collective. 'What we want is to stop all of this, the disappearances,' she said. 'We hope that this time they'll [the authorities] do the work as they should.' The Jalisco Search Warriors' leader Indira Navarro said: 'This ranch served as a training site and — even though it sounds awful, really harsh — for extermination." Groups like the one she leads have filled the void left by the state in the search for the country's more than 120,000 disappeared people. Jalisco State Prosecutor Salvador González de los Santos, who visited the site on Tuesday and confirmed that six groups of bones had been uncovered there, admitted that previous efforts from the authorities were 'insufficient'. It remains unclear how a group of private citizens were able to discover so easily what the authorities had not. Pablo Lemus, the governor of Jalisco, announced on Wednesday that the federal Attorney General's Office — at the request of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — would take over the investigation. United Nations-backed experts on Thursday accused Israeli forces of 'the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence' in the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Chris Sidoti, a member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said the report "finds that Israel has increasingly employed sexual, reproductive, and other forms of gender-based violence against Palestinians as part of a broader effort to undermine their right to self-determination". Sidoti also said that the report concludes Israel has carried out "genocidal acts" via the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive health care facilities. "The commission documented a pattern of sexual violence, including cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture, and other inhumane acts that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," Sidoti said, adding that Israel has obstructed the commission's investigations and prevented access not only to Israel proper, but also to the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel rejected these allegations, accusing the commission, a UN-designated fact-finding mission, of relying on 'second-hand, single, uncorroborated sources'. The commission also accuses Israeli security forces of subjecting Palestinian detainees to rape and sexual violence. Israel denies any systematic abuse of prisoners and says it takes action when there are violations. The commission's findings may be used as evidence for the International Criminal Court (ICC) or other international bodies that seek to prosecute war crimes. The ICC has already issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes in Gaza, which they deny. The court also issued a warrant for Hamas's military leader, but the militants have since confirmed that he has been killed. Israel's war against Hamas, triggered by the group's deadly 7 October 2023 incursion into Israel, saw more than 48,000 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The health ministry's figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The Israel-Hamas war has been on pause since January by a fragile ceasefire to allow for the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. In the meantime, Israel has obstructed the inflow of aid, medicine and electricity as a pressure tactic against Hamas. Negotiations over the future of the truce and the release of Israeli hostages are continuing in Qatar, but there are as yet no signs of a breakthrough. Meanwhile, around 50 patients are being evacuated daily from Gaza by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and its local partners. Among them are cancer, heart disease and haemophilia patients whose regular treatment has been interrupted by the destruction of Gaza's healthcare infrastructure. While the trickle of medical evacuations is still under way, Israel has renewed its blockade against humanitarian aid and electricity into Gaza.
Euronews
14-03-2025
- Euronews
UN experts accuse Israel of sexual and gender-based violence in Gaza
A group of people searching for their missing relatives have uncovered a possible clandestine crematorium in Mexico's western state of Jalisco. At a ranch in Teuchitlan, 60 kilometres west of Guadalajara, the country's second largest city, the Jalisco Search Warriors discovered heaps of clothing, dozens of shoes and some bone fragments last week. The location is thought to have been used as a recruitment and training centre by the Jalisco New Generation cartel, the state's dominant criminal organisation, according to Mexican media. The site was seized in September by Mexican authorities, who said at the time that they had arrested 10 people, freed two hostages and found a body wrapped in plastic. However, their investigation then went silent. After receiving an anonymous tip-off, members of the Jalisco Search Warriors, one of dozens of collectives looking for disappeared people across Mexico, entered the ranch and made their discovery. 'A lot of families have stepped forward to identify items of clothing,' said Maribel, a member of the search collective. 'What we want is to stop all of this, the disappearances,' she said. 'We hope that this time they'll [the authorities] do the work as they should.' The Jalisco Search Warriors' leader Indira Navarro said: 'This ranch served as a training site and — even though it sounds awful, really harsh — for extermination." Groups like the one she leads have filled the void left by the state in the search for the country's more than 120,000 disappeared people. Jalisco State Prosecutor Salvador González de los Santos, who visited the site on Tuesday and confirmed that six groups of bones had been uncovered there, admitted that previous efforts from the authorities were 'insufficient'. It remains unclear how a group of private citizens were able to discover so easily what the authorities had not. Pablo Lemus, the governor of Jalisco, announced on Wednesday that the federal Attorney General's Office — at the request of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — would take over the investigation. United Nations-backed experts on Thursday accused Israeli forces of 'the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence' in the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Chris Sidoti, a member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said the report "finds that Israel has increasingly employed sexual, reproductive, and other forms of gender-based violence against Palestinians as part of a broader effort to undermine their right to self-determination". Sidoti also said that the report concludes Israel has carried out "genocidal acts" via the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive health care facilities. "The commission documented a pattern of sexual violence, including cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture, and other inhumane acts that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," Sidoti said, adding that Israel has obstructed the commission's investigations and prevented access not only to Israel proper, but also to the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel rejected these allegations, accusing the commission, a UN-designated fact-finding mission, of relying on 'second-hand, single, uncorroborated sources'. The commission also accuses Israeli security forces of subjecting Palestinian detainees to rape and sexual violence. Israel denies any systematic abuse of prisoners and says it takes action when there are violations. The commission's findings may be used as evidence for the International Criminal Court (ICC) or other international bodies that seek to prosecute war crimes. The ICC has already issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes in Gaza, which they deny. The court also issued a warrant for Hamas's military leader, but the militants have since confirmed that he has been killed. Israel's war against Hamas, triggered by the group's deadly 7 October 2023 incursion into Israel, saw more than 48,000 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The health ministry's figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The Israel-Hamas war has been on pause since January by a fragile ceasefire to allow for the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. In the meantime, Israel has obstructed the inflow of aid, medicine and electricity as a pressure tactic against Hamas. Negotiations over the future of the truce and the release of Israeli hostages are continuing in Qatar, but there are as yet no signs of a breakthrough. Meanwhile, around 50 patients are being evacuated daily from Gaza by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and its local partners. Among them are cancer, heart disease and haemophilia patients whose regular treatment has been interrupted by the destruction of Gaza's healthcare infrastructure. While the trickle of medical evacuations is still under way, Israel has renewed its blockade against humanitarian aid and electricity into Gaza. Syria's interim president yesterday signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under his group's rule while promising to protect the rights of all Syrians for five years during a transitional phase. The nation's interim rulers came to power when the former Islamist insurgent group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, overthrew longtime President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive last December. Since then, they have struggled to exert authority across much of Syria, which remains territorially divided and riven by violence. Former HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa is now the country's interim president. His appointment was announced after a meeting of the armed groups that joined the overthrow of al-Assad, who also agreed to repeal and replace the country's old constitution. While many Syrians are happy to see an end to the al-Assad family's 50-plus-year dynastic dictatorship, the country's religious and ethnic minorities have so far been sceptical of the new leaders, and are reluctant to allow them to take full control of the national government. Abdulhamid Al-Awak, a constitutional law expert and one of the seven members of the committee al-Sharaa tasked to draft the temporary constitution, told a news conference on Thursday that the document holds over some provisions from the previous constitution, including the stipulation that the head of state has to be a Muslim and the primacy of Islamic law. But Al-Awak also said that the temporary constitution includes provisions that enshrine freedom of expression and the media, and will "balance between social security and freedom" while setting up an "absolute and rigid separation" between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government. The text of the temporary constitution sets up a People's Committee which will serve as an interim parliament until a permanent constitution is adopted and elections held. Two-thirds of its members will be appointed by a committee selected by the interim president and one-third by al-Sharaa himself. The document, published late on Thursday evening, says the Syrian state is "committed to combating all forms of violent extremism while respecting rights and freedoms" and that "citizens are equal before the law in rights and duties, without discrimination based on race, religion, gender or lineage." It also makes clear that the army is a "professional national institution", that arms outside of its control are prohibited, and that "glorifying the former al-Assad regime" is now a crime. A new committee to draft a permanent constitution will be formed, but it remains unclear if it will be more inclusive of Syria's political, religious and ethnic groups than the current Islamist-led arrangement. In what may be a sign of things to come, al-Sharaa has struck a landmark deal with the US-backed and Kurdish-led authorities in northeastern Syria, establishing a ceasefire and merging the insurgent armed forces into the central government's security services. The pact was sealed after government forces and allied groups crushed an insurgency launched last week by gunmen loyal to al-Assad. Rights groups say that hundreds of civilians, most of them from the Alawite minority to which al-Assad himself belongs, were killed in retaliatory attacks by factions involved in the counteroffensive. A key goal of the interim constitution was to provide a timeline for the country's political transition into a permanent arrangement. Al-Sharaa said in December that it could take up to three years to rewrite Syria's constitution and up to five years to organise and hold full elections. He appointed a committee to draft the new constitution after a "national dialogue conference" last month. Critics said that the hastily-organised conference wasn't inclusive of Syria's different ethnic and sectarian groups or civil society. The US and Europe have been hesitant to lift harsh sanctions imposed on Syria during al-Assad's rule until they are convinced that the new leaders will create an inclusive political system and protect minorities. Al-Sharaa and regional governments have been urging them to reconsider, given the risk of further instability during a time of deep economic strife.
