Nearly a HUNDRED lifeless in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse, with well-known singer and two Major League Baseball stars amongst these killed

Nearly 100 people have died after a roof collapsed at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic, including a singer and two professional baseball players.

Renowned Dominican merengue singer Rubby Perez, 69, was on stage at the popular Jet Set nightclub when the roof collapsed shortly after midnight Tuesday. 

His manager has confirmed that he was among those killed in disaster, noting that Perez’s team is ‘waiting for the children to reach an agreement for the funeral’.

Retired Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, who won a World Series in 2011 with the St Louis Cardinals, was also killed. Dotel, 51, was rescued alive but died of his injuries while being taken to hospital.

A black-and-white photo of the player and images of the Dominican flag were projected onto the scoreboard at Citi Field in New York before Tuesday’s game between the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins.

Tony Blanco, who used to play for the Washington Nationals, was killed when he tried to save his friend and former baseball player Esteban German from being hit by falling debris. Blanco, 43, died but German, 47, miraculously survived.

There were between 500 and 1,000 people in the club when disaster struck at around 12.44am Tuesday, local media reports. The club has capacity for 700 people seated and about 1,000 people standing.

Rescuers raced to find survivors early Wednesday and continue to press on with the search effort, which more than 24 hours after the roof caved in began to be limited more to recovering bodies. 

Perez was on stage when there was a blackout and the roof came crashing down, according to eyewitness reports.

The singer’s daughter Zulinka told reporters she had managed to escape after the roof collapsed, but he did not.

Also among the dead was the governor of the Monte Cristi municipality, Nelsy Cruz, according to President Luis Abinader.

The president visited the scene and declared three days of national mourning.

The death toll started at 15 and kept rising throughout Tuesday. By early Wednesday, the preliminary toll had reached 98, said Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Center.

‘As long as there is hope for life, all authorities will be working to recover or rescue these people,’ he said earlier.

Dotel’s brother Angel told El Nuevo Diario newspaper that he died before being pulled from underneath the debris.

The ex-MLB player had been heard screaming for help by first responders, according to Dominican television station Supercanal.

Dotel pitched for 13 teams across a career that spanned 15 seasons in the majors. He was 59-50 with a 3.79 ERA and 109 saves in 758 games, including 34 starts.

‘Peace to his soul,’ the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League wrote on social media. 

German, meanwhile, was a second baseman for teams including the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics, while Blanco played for the likes of the Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Nelsy Cruz, the sister of former MLB slugger Nelson Cruz, also died in the collapse.

MLB released a statement on Tuesday evening saying: ‘MLB is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo.

‘We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family.

‘The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today.’

Revelers gathered to watch Perez’s performance when a section of the ceiling plummeted around 12.44am Tuesday.

Footage shared on social media showed Perez on stage when parts of the ceiling came crashing down on the crowd and performers.

Dozens of ambulances ferried the injured to hospital, as scores of people gathered outside the venue desperately seeking news of their loved ones. 

About 370 rescue personnel combed mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets for survivors. 

First responders are continuing their efforts to find survivors, including using thermal cameras that can detect victims’ body heat signatures. 

Iris Pena, a woman who had attended the show, told SIN television how she escaped with her son. 

‘At one point, dirt started falling like dust into the drink on the table,’ she said. 

‘A stone fell and cracked the table where we were, and we got out,’ Pena recounted. ‘The impact was so strong, as if it had been a tsunami or an earthquake.’

Dozens of family members flocked to hospitals for news.

‘We are desperate,’ Regina del Rosa, whose sister was at the concert, told SIN. ‘They are not giving us news, they are not telling us anything.’

Helicopter images revealed a large hole where the club’s roof once was. A crane was helping lift some of the heavier rubble as men in hard hats dug through the debris.

Authorities have issued a call for Dominicans to donate blood.

The Instagram page of the Jet Set club said it has been in operation for more than 50 years, with shows every Monday until the early hours.

Its last post before Monday’s event invited fans to come and ‘enjoy his (Perez’s) greatest hits and dance in the country’s best nightclub.’

On Tuesday, the club issued a statement saying it was working ‘fully and transparently’ with authorities.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, received over 11 million visitors in 2024, according to the tourism ministry.

Tourism generates about 15 per cent of GDP, with visitors attracted by its music and nightlife, Caribbean beaches, as well as the colonial architecture of the capital Santo Domingo.