The death toll from the collapse of a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic has surged to 221, emergency officials confirmed Thursday, making it one of the deadliest tragedies in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Juan Manuel M\u00e9ndez, director of the Dominican Republic\u2019s Center for Emergency Operations (COE), delivered the update during an emotional press conference at the disaster site in Santo Domingo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnfortunately, we now have a total of 221 deceased,\u201d M\u00e9ndez said, his voice breaking as he addressed the media. \u201cOur solidarity, our grief is expressed in every gesture, in every word we can offer,\u201d he said, visibly shaken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fighting back tears, M\u00e9ndez described the toll of the tragedy on first responders. \u201cThis has been the most difficult task I\u2019ve faced in 20 years leading the operations center,\u201d he said. \u201cI apologize\u2014because every time we saw someone pleading for their loved one, for their relative, we were overcome with helplessness. Knowing that people were still trapped, and that we hadn\u2019t yet been able to reach them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities said 189 people were rescued alive from the rubble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The collapse happened just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday at Jet Set, a well-known nightclub in the capital, where merengue star Rubby P\u00e9rez was performing. A large section of the roof suddenly caved in, crushing the stage, dance floor, and surrounding seating areas filled with concertgoers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the victims are several public figures, including former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco, famed singer Rubby P\u00e9rez, and Nelsy Cruz, the sister of MLB star Nelson Cruz and governor of Monte Cristi province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tragedy has left the country in mourning. President Luis Abinader declared three days of national mourning, with flags flying at half-staff across the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMajor League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passing of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of this tragedy,\u201d MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said earlier this week. \u201cOur hearts go out to their families, friends, and the Dominican baseball community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The death toll from the collapse of a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic has surged to 221, emergency officials confirmed Thursday, making it one of the deadliest tragedies in the country\u2019s history. Juan Manuel M\u00e9ndez, director of the Dominican Republic\u2019s Center for Emergency Operations (COE), delivered the update during an emotional press conference at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":53281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1818,1228,3342],"class_list":["post-53365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-building-collapse","tag-dominican-republic","tag-santo-domingo-dominican-republic"],"yoast_head":"\n