Latest news with #Rubby
Al Arabiya
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
Grieving Dominicans start burying more than 200 victims of nightclub disaster
Grief-stricken Dominicans on Thursday began holding funerals for loved ones who were among at least 220 people killed in a nightclub rooftop collapse, even as dozens remained unaccounted for. More than 300 rescuers, aided by sniffer dogs, have worked tirelessly since disaster struck early Tuesday to pull survivors from the rubble of the Jet Set club in the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo. Officials called off the search for live victims on Wednesday night, as efforts shifted to recovering bodies from the mounds of twisted steel, zinc and brick that remain of the structure. Local media had reported there were between 500 and 1,000 people at the club -- which could hold 1,700 -- for a concert by renowned merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was on stage when the roof came down. The 69-year-old died on site, but his daughter made it out alive. Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Center for Emergency Operations, put the official death toll at 221 on Thursday, and said 189 people were pulled out of the debris alive. A consolidated report of victims will be published in the coming hours, Mendez told reporters, as the Dominican Republic observed three days of national mourning. 'Our rescue team is already concluding the search operations,' he added. Health Minister Victor Atallah said earlier there could be more bodies under the rubble in the Caribbean nation's worst tragedy in decades. 'No one will be left unidentified. No one will be left without an answer,' he told reporters. 'We are going to move every last stone that needs to be moved.' The Dominican presidency announced a commission of national and international experts will be set up to investigate the calamity. 'They are all dead' President Luis Abinader on Thursday attended a memorial for Perez at the National Theater, where family, friends and fans released white balloons as the hearse departed with his remains. 'My soul is on the verge of exploding with love,' Perez's daughter Zulinka chanted at the ceremony -- a lyric from one of the many tunes her father had sung to her as a child. Perez's coffin was surrounded by wreaths and topped with the artist's signature hat and glasses. 'Rubby is history, Rubby is a people's artist, humble, who came out of poverty,' fan Alina Caminero, 56, told AFP outside the venue. His beloved songs include 'Buscando Tus Besos' and 'Volvere.' In the neighboring community of Haina, families held a collective ceremony for about 20 victims, their coffins lined up side-by-side on a basketball court. A provisional list of the deceased included a Haitian, an Italian, two French citizens and an American. Among the dead were the governor of the Monte Cristi province, Nelsy Cruz, as well as former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco. More than 500 people were injured. Families gathered at funeral homes Thursday to begin the mourning process, while others were still waiting at hospitals for news about missing loved ones. 'This has been a very hard process, because yesterday we spent the day going from clinic to clinic, from hospital to hospital and also in front of the Jet Set, looking for our brothers with the hope of finding them alive,' 47-year-old Jose Santana, who lost four family members in the accident, told AFP at the morgue. 'Unfortunately, this morning we were told that they are all dead.' A list of names of deceased people was put up on a tent erected near the morgue. 'No pathology institute has the capacity to handle so many bodies so quickly,' said Atallah, adding that temporary centers will be set up to speed up identification processes. Aerial images of the site showed a scene resembling the aftermath of an earthquake, with a gaping hole where the roof of the club -- a fixture of Santo Domingo's nightlife for half a century -- had been. A video posted on social media showed the venue suddenly plunged into darkness while Perez was singing, followed by crashing sounds and screams.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Music Manager Who Survived Jet Set Nightclub Roof Collapse Tells His Story: ‘I Never Thought About Dying'
Carlos Bautista, a music manager for artists including Omega and Chimbala, went to Jet Set nightclub on Monday night to watch his friend Rubby Pérez perform. He was standing near the stairs leading to the stage when the club's roof collapsed. Both Bautista and his brother survived the tragedy. Here's Bautista's story, in his own words. I'm a close friend of Rubby. I produced his last album, and we've worked together on business projects. I went to see him perform that night. I was standing near the stairs by the stage. More from Billboard Death Toll From Nightclub Roof Collapse in Dominican Republic Rises to 113, Including 2 Former MLB Players Lorde Shares Snippet of New Song Ahead of L4: 'Since I Was 17, I Gave You Everything' Is Drake's 'Nokia' the Biggest Threat to Kendrick Lamar & SZA's Hot 100 Supremacy? A piece of the roof fell onto the corner of the club, landed on a table, and shattered it. That's when a hole appeared in the roof. People started recording it and looking at it, and within seconds, the entire roof caved in. At first, we thought it was a fight in the club because everyone started running, and we assumed it was some kind of altercation. But five seconds later, the roof collapsed. I was right there in front. I didn't even have time to run. When I turned to leave, the roof fell on me — on my head, back, arms and knees. I was completely buried. My brother and I were both trapped under the rubble. Nearby, there was a couple, and they managed to create a space and said, 'Carlos, help me get out.' I'm a big guy — 6 feet tall and over 200 pounds — so I was able to move a chair, and they got out. My brother was still trapped, so I went to get help to get him out of the rubble. When things like this happen, you don't really think about anything. While I was trapped, I thought about my mom, my family. I prayed to God, asking Him to let us make it out alive, but I also surrendered to His will. I was calm — 100% calm. But it wasn't me; it was God who made that possible. I never thought about dying. I was trapped for over an hour. I didn't lose consciousness because I kept talking to my brother to keep him alert since he was on the verge of having a claustrophobic attack. Neither of us passed out. The people near me made space for us, and I was able to get out. I walked out barefoot because my shoes got stuck under the rubble. I was careful not to step on nails or anything sharp. I ran into someone my mom knows — a cop — and a firefighter. My brother had his phone with him and used the flashlight so they could find him and remove the debris to get him out. He was trapped for three to four hours. Rubby didn't make it, and I think being trapped for so long is what ultimately took him. When you're in that kind of situation, your mind starts to wander, and it's not easy to process what's happening. At first, I thought it was an earthquake. But when I got out and saw everything was fine outside, I realized it wasn't. What impacted me the most was seeing people outside desperately waiting for their loved ones to come out alive. That stayed with me — seeing their faces, knowing that most of the people trapped inside had already passed away. God had called them. I live with my brother and my mom. She was at home and only found out what had happened when I called her from the hospital. My mom wakes up every day at 4 a.m. to pray, and I called her at that time to tell her not to worry when she woke up and realized I hadn't come home. My brother spent the night in the hospital, but he's here with me now. I didn't break any bones, but my mind feels fractured after everything I saw. My heart feels broken because I'm human, and I feel the pain of others. I lost a lot of people I knew that night. Life can change in an instant. I woke up this morning thanking God for giving me more time, for showing mercy to us, for not leaving my mom alone in this moment, for letting her keep her two sons. That's just how I am — always calm, always composed. But I didn't survive just because I'm calm. Everything is in God's hands. I keep thinking about this phrase: 'It wasn't the universe, it was God. And it wasn't random; it was part of His plan.' Now that this has happened, I want humanity to take God's existence more seriously. We're seeing the signs of the end times, and God is real. I've always believed, but now even more so. I'll continue to talk about His existence for the rest of my life. This doesn't affect my career — not at all. I work in music, and I'm mentally prepared for whatever comes my way. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Singer Rubby Pérez Dead After Roof Collapse in Dominican Republic Club
Originally appeared on E! Online The death toll continues to rise following the roof collapse of a Dominican Republic nightclub. And among the at least 113 people who died after the tragic incident at the Jet Set Club in Santo Domingo was merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing onstage in the early hours of April 8 as the roof came down, his team confirmed. He was 69. "We sincerely thank you for all the love, support and solidarity we have received in this difficult time for your family, friends and followers," the April 9 statement on Rubby's Instagram said in Spanish. "His musical and human legacy will live forever in our hearts. Peace to his soul." The "Tu Vas a Volar" singer's body was pulled from the rubble by rescuers, the director of Emergency Operations Center Juan Manuel Méndez shared in a press conference ahead of the statement. As rescuers continued their search at the site, resulting in more than 155 people being taken to nearby hospitals for their injuries, Rubby's daughter Zulinka Pérez shared insight into the moments after the roof came down. More from E! Online Michelle Obama Breaks Silence on Barack Obama Divorce Rumors Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright's 3-Year-Old Son Cruz Diagnosed With Autism Kenan Thompson Shares Health Diagnosis After 'Suffering in Silence' for Years "I'm his backup singer—my husband and I are backup singers," Zulinka told local media during an April 8 press conference in Spanish. "My husband covered me, threw himself on top of me, and he got trapped. He told me, 'Get out quickly.' The musicians were able to get out; the bass player is in critical condition; I think he had surgery in the hospital. And one of the saxophone players is dead." Other victims also included former MLB stars Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, as well as Monte Crisiti governor Nelsy Cruz. Dotel's agent Dan Horwits reflected on his client's life while confirming his death. "His energy, positivity and zest for life were infectious to all who had the pleasure of knowing him," Horowits shared in an April 8 Instagram post. 'It was an honor to represent OD. We pass along our thoughts and prayers to his entire family as well as everyone affected by the tragedy." Following the collapse, which occurred during the set around 1 a.m. local time, the nightclub also issued its own statement. "The loss of human lives leaves us in a state of profound sorrow and grief," the venue wrote on Instagram. "In this difficult moment, our prayers are with each of the affected families. We share their pain as if it were our own, as we, too, are in mourning. We are working fully and transparently with the competent authorities to assist the victims and clarify what happened." For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
