Jet Set club tragedy: Search for survivors ends

Investigators say it is still too early to determine the cause of the deadly roof collapse at Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic after the death toll from the tragedy reached 226.

Hundreds of people were in attendance at the 1,000-cap nightclub in the capital Santo Domingo for a concert by merengue singer Rubby Pérez at the time of the collapse in the early hours of 8 April.

Dust reportedly began falling from the ceiling and into people’s drinks moments before the entire roof collapsed. Pérez was killed in the incident, while other victims included ex-Major League Baseball (MLB) players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera and Montecristi governor Nelsy Cruz.

More than 200 people were also injured and 14 remain in hospital – four of them in a critical condition.

The government says that “all reasonable possibilities of finding more survivors” had been exhausted, with the focus of the operation now shifting to recovering bodies – a move it clarifies is “simply a reflection of technical criteria and does not signify in any way that the case is being closed or that attention to the tragedy will be reduced”.

According to district attorney Rosalba Ramos, the process has moved into the expert assessment phase, which will establish the cause before a legal investigation can be opened. ABC reports that a commission of experts is being created.

Authorities say that part of the Jet Set club, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary, was previously damaged in a 2023 fire.

A public memorial for Pérez, who was aged 69, was held on Thursday (10 April) at Santo Domingo’s Eduardo Brito National Theater and was attended by fans, fellow musicians and dignitaries.

The tragedy came just weeks after 61 people died in a fire during a concert by hip-hop duo DNK at the Pulse nightclub in Kočani, North Macedonia.

It is the deadliest nightclub disaster in more than a decade – since 242 people died and over 600 injured at the Kiss nightclub in the city of Santa Maria southern Brazil in January 2013.

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