Latest news with #Volvere
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
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Family bid farewell to merengue singer, killed in Dominican nightclub disaster
Family members bade a tearful farewell Thursday to merengue singer Rubby Perez, who died this week when the roof of a Dominican Republic nightclub crashed down on him as he did what he loved best: perform for an adoring crowd. Born Roberto Antonio Perez, the 69-year-old was given a private wake at the National Theater in the capital Santo Domingo, where the death toll from Tuesday's disaster has surged past 200. "My soul is on the verge of exploding with love," Perez's daughter Zulinka sang at the ceremony attended by President Luis Abinader and other performers like Juan Luis Guerra as the Dominican Republic observed three days of national mourning for the many victims. "In love with love," she continued, performing excerpts from tunes her father used to sing to her as a child. Born on March 8, 1956, in Bajos de Haina, near Santo Domingo, Rubby Perez began his musical career in the late 1970s after studying at the National Conservatory of Music. He had dreamed of becoming a baseball player as a child, but a traffic accident led him to change course and become one of merengue music's most recognizable voices. The singer, known for hits such as "Volvere" (I'll be back) and "Enamorado de Ella (In love with Her), had a vocal quality and pitch that led to him being dubbed "The "highest voice of Merengue" -- a Caribbean genre characterized by fast, danceable beats. Family members wept inconsolably as Abinader offered his condolences near the coffin surrounded by wreaths and topped with the artist's signature hat and glasses. "My brother was a working man, a person who loved to work," Neifi Perez told reporters at the wake before breaking down in tears. The theater is expected to open to the public later Thursday for a religious service. syr-ba/nn/mlr/dw
Express Tribune
10-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Death toll in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse reaches 218
Rescue teams work at the site of the collapsed Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, April 9, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article The death toll after a roof collapsed at a crowded nightclub in the Dominican Republic has climbed to 221, the head of rescue operations said on Thursday, in the Caribbean nation's worst disaster in decades. Rescuers had worked frantically since the collapse in the early hours of Tuesday to dig out survivors from the rubble of the popular Jet Set club in Santo Domingo. Among the dead were famed merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was performing on stage as the roof caved in, as well as two former Major League Baseball players and a local politician. '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 said that 189 people had been 'rescued alive' since the collapse. More than 500 people were injured in the incident. Up to 1,000 people could have been inside the club at the time of the accident, local media has reported, though no official figure has yet been given. 'Our rescue workers are already concluding the search,' Mendez said. 'We are saddened by this tragedy that has so saddened the Dominican people.' Authorities ruled out the possibility of finding any more survivors late on Wednesday. The government said it will open an inquiry into the disaster as soon as the rescue operations have been completed. Over 300 rescue workers, aided by sniffer dogs, had spent two days combing through mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets, supported by firefighters from Puerto Rico and Israel. 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. Tributes to the singer, known for hits such as 'Volvere' and 'Enamorado de Ella', poured in from across Latin America. The baseball world meanwhile mourned the death of Octavio Dotel, a 51-year-old baseball pitcher who won the World Series with the St Louis Cardinals in 2011, and Tony Blanco, 45, who also played in the United States. President Luis Abinader declared three days of national mourning. Relatives were still waiting desperately for news of their loved ones outside the ruined club, at hospitals and the local morgue on Wednesday. Antonio Hernandez, whose son worked at the Jet Set nightclub, told AFP on Wednesday that his hopes of finding his son alive had begun fading as he watched more and more bodies, but no survivors, being retrieved. The remains in one body bag resembled his son's height and build, said Hernandez, but he did not investigate. 'I don't have the stomach to find out the worst yet. '
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Death toll in Dominican nightclub disaster rises to 218
The death toll after a roof collapsed at a crowded nightclub in the Dominican Republic has climbed to 218, the head of rescue operations said Thursday, in the Caribbean nation's worst disaster in decades. Rescuers had worked frantically since the collapse in the early hours of Tuesday to dig out survivors from the rubble of the popular Jet Set club in Santo Domingo. Among the dead were famed merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was performing on stage as the roof caved in, as well as two former Major League Baseball players and a local politician. "Unfortunately and with regret, (there are) 218 people dead as preliminary data," Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), told reporters. He said that 189 people had been "rescued alive" since the collapse. More than 500 people were injured in the incident. Up to 1,000 people could have been inside the club at the time of the accident, local media has reported, though no official figure has yet been given. "Our rescue workers are already concluding the search," Mendez said. "We are saddened by this tragedy that has so saddened the Dominican people." Authorities ruled out the possibility of finding any more survivors late Wednesday. The government said it will open an inquiry into the disaster as soon as the rescue operations have been completed. Over 300 rescue workers, aided by sniffer dogs, had spent two days combing through mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets, supported by firefighters from Puerto Rico and Israel. 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. Tributes to the singer, known for hits such as "Volvere" and "Enamorado de Ella," poured in from across Latin America. The baseball world meanwhile mourned the death of Octavio Dotel, a 51-year-old baseball pitcher who won the World Series with the St Louis Cardinals in 2011, and Tony Blanco, 45, who also played in the United States. President Luis Abinader declared three days of national mourning. Relatives were still waiting desperately for news Wednesday of their loved ones outside the ruined club, at hospitals and at the local morgue. Antonio Hernandez, whose son worked at the Jet Set nightclub, told AFP Wednesday his hopes of finding his son alive had begun fading as he watched more and more bodies, but no survivors, being retrieved. The remains in one body bag resembled his son's height and build, said Hernandez, but he did not investigate. "I don't have the stomach to find out the worst yet." bur-jt/nn/st/dhc
Al-Ahram Weekly
10-04-2025
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Death toll in Dominican nightclub disaster rises to 218 - International
The death toll after a roof collapsed at a crowded nightclub in the Dominican Republic has climbed to 218, the head of rescue operations said Thursday, in the Caribbean nation's worst disaster in decades. Related Over 110 dead in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse Rescuers had worked frantically since the collapse in the early hours of Tuesday to dig out survivors from the rubble of the popular Jet Set club in Santo Domingo. Among the dead were famed merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was performing on stage as the roof caved in, as well as two former Major League Baseball players and a local politician. "Unfortunately and with regret, (there are) 218 people dead as preliminary data," Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), told reporters. He said that 189 people had been "rescued alive" since the collapse. More than 500 people were injured in the incident. Up to 1,000 people could have been inside the club at the time of the accident, local media has reported, though no official figure has yet been given. "Our rescue workers are already concluding the search," Mendez said. "We are saddened by this tragedy that has so saddened the Dominican people." Authorities ruled out the possibility of finding any more survivors late Wednesday. The government said it will open an inquiry into the disaster as soon as the rescue operations have been completed. Over 300 rescue workers, aided by sniffer dogs, had spent two days combing through mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets, supported by firefighters from Puerto Rico and Israel. 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. Tributes to the singer, known for hits such as "Volvere" and "Enamorado de Ella," poured in from across Latin America. The baseball world meanwhile mourned the death of Octavio Dotel, a 51-year-old baseball pitcher who won the World Series with the St Louis Cardinals in 2011, and Tony Blanco, 45, who also played in the United States. President Luis Abinader declared three days of national mourning. Relatives were still waiting desperately for news Wednesday of their loved ones outside the ruined club, at hospitals and at the local morgue. Antonio Hernandez, whose son worked at the Jet Set nightclub, told AFP Wednesday his hopes of finding his son alive had begun fading as he watched more and more bodies, but no survivors, being retrieved. The remains in one body bag resembled his son's height and build, said Hernandez, but he did not investigate. "I don't have the stomach to find out the worst yet." Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
