Big Names Appear Among the Dead in Club Roof Collapse

The legendary Jet Set club in Santo Domingo was packed with musicians, professional athletes, and government officials when dust began falling from the ceiling and into people's drinks. Minutes later, the entire roof collapsed. Concrete slabs killed more than 113 people and trapped dozens of others on a dancefloor where hundreds had been dancing to a lively merengue concert early Tuesday. More than 255 people were injured, authorities said.

Rescue crews were still searching for potential survivors more than 24 hours after the collapse. "As long as they report that there is a missing person, we will be here," said emergency operations director Juan Manuel Méndez. Rescue crews from Puerto Rico and Israel arrived in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday to help local authorities with the search. Still, the New York Times reports the chances of finding additional survivors appear slim, as no one has been found alive since Tuesday afternoon. More on the victims, per the AP:

• So far, only 32 people have been identified in one of the worst disasters to hit the Dominican Republic. Local media reported that those who died include a cardiologist, a government architect, a retired police officer, and the brother of the vice minister of the Ministry of Youth.
• Merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the crowd before disaster struck, was among the dead. His body was found early Wednesday.
• Also killed was MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera. (Read more on their deaths here.)
• Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, alerted President Luis Abinader about the disaster. She called him from underneath the rubble but died later at a hospital.
• Other victims include saxophonist Luis Solís, who was playing onstage when the roof fell, several Venezuelan bartenders, and an Army captain who left behind four young girls.
• Grupo Popular, a financial services company, said three of its employees also died, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife.

(More Dominican Republic stories.)