As of 12:05 a.m. this Wednesday, the death toll had reached 98.
By Escalin Well
El Inmobiliario
SANTO DOMINGO – April 8, 2025, is a date that will be painfully remembered by the Dominican people. At 12:44 a.m. that Tuesday, a tragedy occurred at the Jet Set Club, located in the El Portal sector of Santo Domingo, National District.
While hundreds of people were singing and dancing to the merengue rhythm of the artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, the ceiling of the nightclub collapsed in fractions of a second.
From that moment on, the National Emergency Response System 911 received more than one hundred calls from people alerting them about what had happened.
Five minutes later, at 12:49 a.m., the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, received a call from the Governor of Montecristi, Nelsy Milagros Cruz, who was trapped in the rubble. Although rescued alive, she died shortly afterward while receiving medical attention.
From that warning, the first lady, Raquel Arbaje, stated that the ruler began to mobilize all the state agencies.
The day dawned with a bitter taste in the mouths of the nation. As people learned what had happened, the pain spread and was felt in every corner of the country and across social media.
Emergency services arrived at ground zero to begin the search and rescue of the people who were trapped.
The director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), Juan Manuel Méndez, traveled to the scene, along with ambulances from the Directorate of Extrahospital Emergency Care (DAEH); members of the National Police; units from the National District Fire Department; personnel from the General Directorate of Traffic and Land Transportation Security (Digesett); Civil Defense; the Huron team, specialized in collapsed structures; and rescuers from the Armed Forces.
The popular Avenida Independencia, which is called Avenida Núñez de Cáceres, awoke transformed into a disaster zone bordered by heavy equipment, ambulances, trucks, cranes and machinery necessary to deal with the catastrophe, while the vehicles of the partygoers waited parked all over the nearby area, for the owner who may never arrive.
“From the central government, we stand in solidarity with the families of the victims and those affected, and we reaffirm our commitment, and that of the 22 institutions that are part of the organization, to continue doing everything within our power to guarantee the lives of the population in emergency situations with timely responses,” the COE stated via Instagram.
After 8:00 am, President Luis Abinader arrived at the scene accompanied by his wife, both visibly affected.
“This has been a true tragedy for the country. Our main objective is to save lives, which is what we are doing,” the president said.
Codia's response
The president of the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (Codia), Carlos Mendoza, lamented the tragedy and stated that the entity will carry out the corresponding inspection to determine the reasons for the collapse, after the authorities finish the search and rescue work.
Real estate associations show solidarity
Following the tragedy, and joining in the national grief, the Dominican Association of Housing Builders and Promoters (Acoprovi) postponed a press conference that was to be held Tuesday night to provide details about its tenth edition of the Acoprovi golf tournament.
For its part, the Association of Real Estate Agencies and Companies (AEI) expressed its solidarity with the families affected by the tragedy.
“We join in prayer with all citizens for the recovery of the injured and in national mourning for the deceased,” they said.
Avenue of Health
The Mayor's Office of the National District, in coordination with the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant), enabled the health avenue to expedite the transit of ambulances to the various hospitals, where the affected people receive medical attention.
National mourning
At noon, President Abinader declared three days of official mourning through decree 194-25, which states that the flag must be at half mast on April 8, 9, and 10.
Furthermore, government authorities have activated the telephone line *462 to offer guidance and information to the families of those affected by the incident at the entertainment center.
“From 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, select option 3, then option 1, and after 5:00 pm, select option 1 directly,” they explained.
Rubby Pérez
So far, the discovery of the body of the merengue singer, known as "The highest voice of merengue," has not been officially confirmed, although national and international media have published reports about his death.
Psychological support for those affected
Health Minister Victor Atallah ordered the deployment of Type 1 Emergency Mobile Teams (EMTs) at the fuel station near the club to provide timely care to those affected.
“We immediately activated the entire trauma network. We have made available 90 additional beds to care for the injured, and within the perimeter, we are providing referrals, trauma support, and stabilization,” he stated.
Hospitals in the public network
According to information provided by the National Health Service (SNS), the public network hospitals where care has been provided are: Darío Contreras, Ney Arias Lora, Marcelino Vélez Santana, Vinicio Calventi, Moscoso Puello and Salvador B. Gautier.
Number of deaths
According to the latest bulletin from the COE, released in the early hours, the number of deaths has risen to 98.
The total number of people transferred to different public and private health centers reaches 155.
“We continue operating with specialized technical personnel and heavy equipment for debris removal, thus continuing the search and rescue efforts,” they stated in the press release.
They also indicated that "to date, several of the recovered bodies have not yet been subjected to these protocols, so it is not possible to issue official identifications until the forensic process is properly concluded.".
The organization extended an invitation to people who wish to donate blood to go to the National Blood Center and two other locations, one in the parking lot of the General Directorate of Customs and the other at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Grupo Popular reports the death of members of its family
The People's Party announced early Wednesday morning the deaths of members of its family during the collapse of the roof of the Jet Set nightclub, a tragedy that has so far claimed the lives of 98 people.
Through a statement posted on its Instagram social network, the financial entity identified as deceased in the tragedy Eduardo Grullón, president of AFP Popular; his wife, Jhoanna Rodríguez de Grullón; his sister, Alexandra Grullón, Project Manager of Qik Banco Digital Dominicano, and her husband, Eduardo Guarionex Estrella Cruz, the latter son of the former senator of Santiago and Minister of Public Works, Eduardo Estrella.
He also announced the death of his collaborator Stephanie Avendaño Patricio.
He said that the deaths were certified "by the corresponding authorities at the scene of the events" that took place in the early hours of Tuesday, April 8.
Cover photo: Luduis Tapia/Diario Libre.
