Tensions and sorrow deepened in the Dominican Republic on Friday, as families of the 222 victims killed in a catastrophic nightclub roof collapse continued to wait for their loved ones’ bodies to be identified.
Outside the forensic morgue in Santo Domingo, the capital, dozens of anguished relatives gathered under tents, hoping for answers.
The tragedy struck early Tuesday morning, when the roof of the popular Jet Set club gave way, crashing down on hundreds of attendees gathered to watch a performance by merengue singer Rubby Perez.
Perez, 69, was on stage when the collapse occurred.
He survived the disaster and was honored in a memorial Thursday at the National Theater, attended by President Luis Abinader and Perez’s daughter, Zulinka, who also escaped unharmed.
For many other families, however, grief remains suspended as they await confirmation and the chance to properly mourn.
“It’s unbearable… you can’t imagine what this wait is like,” said Yuni Garcia through tears. Her brother, a security guard at the club, is among the missing.
Authorities had initially reported 221 deaths, with 189 people rescued from the rubble of the once-bustling venue, now reduced to twisted steel, shattered bricks, and collapsed metal sheets.
Late Friday, the national health agency confirmed the death toll had risen to 222 after a hospitalized victim succumbed to injuries.
Dramatic aerial footage of the site resembled a post-earthquake scene, with a massive hole where the roof once stood.
A video circulating on social media showed the moment disaster struck lights suddenly cut out during Perez’s performance, followed by crashing sounds and panicked screams from the crowd.
The collapse marks one of the deadliest tragedies in the Caribbean nation’s recent history, leaving a nation in mourning and families desperate for closure.
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