Nightclub Survivor Describes 'Total Chaos' After Ceiling Collapse That Claimed Over 200 Lives

Sat Oct 18 2025 21:42:50 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A survivor recounts the traumatic events of a ceiling collapse at a Dominican Republic nightclub, reflecting on the chaos and loss experienced that night.

A survivor from the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Carwin Javie Molleja, shared a chilling account of the chaos that ensued when the nightclub's ceiling unexpectedly collapsed, resulting in the deaths of over 220 people. Carwin was dancing with his mother, celebrating their first reunion in three years, when he noticed debris falling above them. Initially dismissing it, he soon found himself engulfed in a scene of terror. Amid loud screams and the sound of crumbling structures, Carwin instinctively embraced his mother, who was also struck by falling debris but survived without serious injuries.

In a desperate attempt to locate his friends trapped inside, Carwin faced a harrowing ordeal, returning multiple times amid the chaos to call for his friend Jessica. He recalls feeling powerless as emergency responders arrived, but machinery to clear the rubble came relatively late. The personal tragedy deepened when he learned of Jessica and her sister's deaths later that day. Carwin expressed profound regret over not being able to assist them, illustrating the human toll of that fateful night marked by overwhelming fear, loss, and heartbreak.

Despite the chaos, there was a rapid response from emergency services, yet Carwin remained haunted by his inability to save his friends.