As of almost 10pm on Wednesday, 9 April 2025, Center for Emergency Operations coordinator, Juan Manuel Mendez said the toll of the Jetset Club roof collapse is at 184 deaths. The number of deaths had climbed from 113 at 6am that morning.
When interviewed by Noticias SIN, Minister of Public Health Victor Atallah had said the high toll can be explained because most of the people were sitting or dancing when the roof collapsed on their heads. Most people died instantly.
The search and rescue operations for possible survivors and corpses at the JetSet Club at Av. Independencia is following international protocols and is carried out in three phases – search and rescue, rescue of corpses and investigation. Mendez said that the last live person was found at 3pm on 9 April. He said the search for survivors continues, while the efforts are mostly concentrated now on the clearing the debris to get to the corpses.
The journey had begun at 12:44am on Tuesday, 8 April 2025, when the entire concrete roof collapsed to a full hand of fans that had come to dance merengue to the music of Rubby Perez and orchestra.
Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Center for Emergency Operations that coordinates the rescue operations, gave a wrap-up for the press in the presence of Minister of the Presidency Jose Ignacio Paliza, Minister of Public Health Victor Atallah, the director of the 911 Air Force colonel Randolfo Rijo and the director of the Police, Major General Ramon Antonio Guzman Peralta in the afternoon.
The Dominican Huron search team of the Air Force was reinforced with units of 13 specialists who came from Puerto Rico and nine who came from Mexico’s Jewish community rescue team, at the petition of the Israeli ambassador in the Dominican Republic. Both had words of praise for the Dominican rescue teams.
The Dominican search and rescue teams worked on the search with two trained dogs and drones equipped with thermal cameras to locate missing people under the rubble of the collapsed roof of the JetSet Club. The Huron search team of the Air Force was joined on Wednesday by a team of 13 from Puerto Rico, and Mexico team, sent by the Israeli ambassador in the country. The chief of the Puerto Rican mission had praise for the Dominican rescue team, repeated three times in his remarks: “You have a first class team,” you can feel proud of your work team.”
N Digital reports on the rescue experience of Ramon de Leon, one usually anonymous veteran search and rescue volunteer who was called that night and went to work. Other veterans would comment on how the work brought back memories of their efforts to rescue Haitians during the 2010 earthquake. Dominican first responders were the first to arrive in Haiti.
During the wrap-up meeting on Wednesday afternoon, Center for Emergency Operations director, Juan Manuel Mendez had praise for the rescue crews, and recalled how all had begun.
He said that the first calls were made by persons at the site at around 12:44am and in a short time there were over 102 calls made to the 911 service. He said a Police reconnaissance unit was sent in a minute and a half of the calls being received to determine the magnitude of the incident. Eight minutes later the first 911 units had arrived. Twenty-five minutes afterwards, the Army, 7 fireworker departments with their equipment (including from Santiago and San Cristobal), 77 ambulances were at site, now under the coordination of the Center for Emergency Operations.
All the attention now continues to be focused at the Forensics Institute (Inacif) where there are still corpses remaining to be identified.
The National District government offered 150 free graves to the victims of the tragedy at the Cristo Redentor public cemetery.
Next, the focus will be on what caused the structural failure and the lessons that can be learned to save lives. A video is circulating showing evidence debris had been falling from the roof alerting to a problem. The Minister of Public Works Eduardo Estrella will be burying his son in Santiago on 10 April 2025, who was one of the victims of the structural failure.
The story has made headlines around the world, with CNN and BBC following up. Heads of government, including Pedro Sanchez of Spain, Vladimir Putin of Russia and Pope Francisco have sent their condolencence and solidarity with the Dominican people
Investigators continue to look for answers to the question of what caused the crash of the roof and why it was not prevented. A video has circulated on social media with comments on the sweeping of particles already falling from the roof on the previous Saturday.
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Instagram video of debris falling
10 April 2025