Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - April 09, 2025 SOUNDBITE 1 INT2d [00:00:00 - 00:00:02] Well, good afternoon.[00:00:02 - 00:00:14] As everyone already knows, the roof of the Jet Set collapsed. They’re pulling out the injured.[00:00:14 - 00:00:19] There’s a list of the injured, and they’re being taken to different locations.[00:00:19 - 00:00:21] That’s basically the information we have right now.[00:00:21 - 00:00:24] We’ve been here since the morning. I have family members inside.[00:00:24 - 00:00:27] They’re alive, thank God. One of them has been rescued, one is still inside.[00:00:27 - 00:00:29] And well, we keep our hope in God.[00:00:29 - 00:00:30] – What’s your name?[00:00:30 - 00:00:33] Iván Rodríguez, REN-CAL, REN-CAL.[00:00:33 - 00:00:35] – And who was inside?[00:00:35 - 00:00:40] My almost brother, Víctor, was there with his mother—and my mother, too.[00:00:40 - 00:00:44] They were with some friends, celebrating the mother’s birthday.[00:00:44 - 00:00:46] And well… things happen.[00:00:46 - 00:00:53] We just hope the others affected can recover quickly too.[00:00:53 - 00:01:00] And for those who lost their lives, we send them a hug and peace to their families.[00:01:00 - 00:01:01] That’s basically it. SOUNDBITE 2 INT3d [00:00:00 - 00:00:06] Good afternoon. Well, a simple opinion is that, at first glance, [00:00:06 - 00:00:11] it looks like a structure that's very old—very old. And being an old structure used as a nightclub, [00:00:11 - 00:00:17] we don't know if it had support columns inside.[00:00:17 - 00:00:23] Even though it produces sound and sound waves, [00:00:23 - 00:00:27] those waves weaken the structure. Over time, if there’s no preventive maintenance, [00:00:27 - 00:00:32] then corrective maintenance won’t help. So to do the corrective work, [00:00:32 - 00:00:36] you need a lot of maintenance to avoid causing [00:00:36 - 00:00:41] these kinds of incidents—so accidents don’t happen. What happens is, the sound waves [00:00:41 - 00:00:47] look for a way out, and as they move through the space, they find the weakest points [00:00:47 - 00:00:51] in the structure. I won’t speculate about the inside because I never saw it, [00:00:51 - 00:00:56] but from the outside it looks like it was a very basic structure for its age.[00:00:56 - 00:00:58] – Do you know about how many people have died so far? [00:00:58 - 00:01:02] I don’t have the exact number, honestly, but I was able to find a bit of info.[00:01:02 - 00:01:07] I think around 15 or 20 people have died.[00:01:07 - 00:01:11] – Around what time did this happen?[00:01:11 - 00:01:17] It was in the early morning hours today—maybe between 3 or 4 a.m. Because it was a nightclub, I understand it only opened on Mondays.[00:01:17 - 00:01:25] So it happened in the early hours from Monday into Tuesday.[00:01:25 - 00:01:27] – From Monday to Tuesday?[00:01:27 - 00:01:29] – Can you mention today’s date?[00:01:29 - 00:01:31] Today’s the 8th, right?[00:01:31 - 00:01:33] Today is the 8th.[00:01:33 - 00:01:35] April 8th, 2025.[00:01:35 - 00:01:37] – Okay, thank you.[00:01:37 - 00:01:38] – What’s your name?[00:01:38 - 00:01:45] My name is Anthony Crespo, I’m a civil engineer, and I live here in the Dominican Republic.[00:01:45 - 00:01:49] I’m Venezuelan, but I live here in the country, and I have some experience and [00:01:49 - 00:01:54] knowledge in structural BIM, construction, and civil engineering. SOUNDBITE 3 INT5d My name is Catalina Balbuena, and I work in domestic service. When I arrived early at work, my son called me and said that the roof at Jet Set had collapsed. It was 7:30 in the morning when we found out, but as I was heading to work, I saw several ambulances, and I swept [the street] around 5:30 a.m. because I always arrive early. According to what I’ve been told, there are 17 people dead. I don’t know their names, and there are more than 30 injured. We’re praying to God that those who are injured can recover. There’s been a lot of solidarity, thank God. This is a country where, in difficult moments, we become brothers, we’re very supportive. You can see it yourself—we have everything here: coffee, water, volunteers, and Civil Defense activated. SCRIPT: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – What began as a night of celebration ended in one of the deadliest structural disasters in the country’s recent history. The roof of the Jet Set nightclub, a well-known venue in the capital, collapsed early Tuesday morning, leaving at least 124 people dead and over 150 injured, according to emergency services. The incident occurred shortly before 1:00 AM local time (05:00 GMT), during a live performance by legendary merengue singer Rubby Pérez. Witnesses say the building was packed, with hundreds of attendees gathered for the event. Emergency responders have been working around the clock, digging through rubble in hopes of finding survivors. As of Tuesday evening, search operations remain ongoing, with teams racing against time in what authorities are calling a “critical 36-hour window.” Local reports indicate that the venue may have been over capacity, and concerns are growing over whether the building met safety standards. An official investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the collapse. President Luis Abinader has offered his condolences and called for national solidarity in the wake of the tragedy. “This is a moment of mourning for our entire country,” he said in a brief statement. “We will support the families of the victims and ensure that justice is served.”