At the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, a once-thriving venue, tragedy struck leaving families anxious and searching for answers. Maximo Peña, a patron for 30 years, attended a concert with his wife and sister, but now they are entombed beneath the wreckage. His daughter, 17-year-old Shailyn Peña, anxiously waits for news outside the disaster site, sharing, “I feel the urge to just go in there and push aside all the rocks and pull him out.”
As rescue teams, including international workers from Israel and Mexico, sift through the debris with advanced technology seeking survivors, the death toll continues to rise. Amid distressing developments, the Emergency Operations Centre Director, Juan Manuel Mendez, reassures that “nothing can be ruled out” in the ongoing search efforts.
Dominican President Luis Abinader has declared three days of national mourning, reflecting on the magnitude of the loss. Among the deceased are notable figures such as singer Rubby Pérez and former baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco. Among fans and attendees, many are left grieving as the search continues amid fears that previous structural weaknesses from a fire years back may have contributed to the collapse.
As the investigation unfolds, the nightclub's owner, Antonio Espaillat, expresses condolences while collaborating with authorities. Shailyn, grappling with her grim birthday reality, reflects on how her younger sisters learned the news of their parents’ fate from schoolchildren, leaving them terrified. As the community comes to terms with this unprecedented calamity, the focus remains on locating survivors and addressing the immense grief that haunts so many.
