UPDATE: Death toll has increased to 218 as this rescue mission becomes a recovery mission. Mexico and Israel have sent help.
Hope is dimming in the search for survivors in the rubble.
The incident happened at 12:34 a.m. Tuesday, during a concert by the Dominican merengue singer Rubby Pérez, according to the police. The roof collapsed within seconds, police said.
Among the victims in the deadly collapse were two former MLB players, Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, as well as Nelsy Cruz, governor of the Montecristi province. Cruz called President Luis Abinader while trapped to tell him about the disaster, according to the AP. MLB legend Pedro Martinez revealed Tuesday night that he has family members who are still buried in the rubble after a roof collapsed at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi province and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, alerted Dominican President Luis Abinader to the disaster, calling him from under the debris, according to first lady Raquel Abraje. Officials said Nelsy Cruz later died at a hospital. (AP)
According to AP, “Officials have said it’s too early to determine why the roof fell. Rescue crews are still searching for survivors in the rubble as people anxiously await word of their loved ones.
An in-depth investigation into the collapse is expected. Authorities have not released any preliminary findings or commented on what might have caused the roof to fall.