Former Houston Astros pitcher Octavio Dotel was killed after the roof collapsed at the Jet Set nightclub.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Former Houston Astros relief pitcher Octavio Dotel was killed after a roof collapsed at a popular nightclub in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo early Tuesday.
At least 66 people died and 160 others were injured when the roof collapsed at the one-story Jet Set nightclub, an iconic nightclub where politicians, athletes and others were attending a merengue concert, authorities said.
“We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble,” director of the Center of Emergency Operations Juan Manuel Méndez said.
Officials initially said Dotel was rescued from the debris and transported to a hospital, but spokesman Satosky Terrero from the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic confirmed to The Associated Press that Dotel died later Tuesday.
Tony Blanco, who played one MLB season and eight years professionally in Japan, also died following the collapse, Terrero said.
Dotel’s best years were with the Houston Astros in the early 2000s. He was a setup man for star closer Billy Wagner, making 302 appearances and posting a 3.25 ERA in four-plus seasons. He was the fifth of six pitchers to combine on a no-hitter against the New York Yankees in 2003. The next year, he was part of the three-way trade that brought Carlos Beltran to the Astros.
The Astros posted a statement about Dotel on X that said, in part, “We are heartbroken to learn the tragic news that former Astros pitcher Octavio Dotel was one of several individuals that passed away when a roof collapsed in his native Dominican Republic last night.”
Dotel pitched for 13 major league teams in a 15-year career and won a world championship with the St. Louis Cardinals.
In 2019, Dotel and ex-major leaguer Luis Castillo were among 18 people taken into custody during a large U.S. and Dominican law enforcement operation against drug trafficking and money laundering. Dotel and Castillo were released when a Dominican magistrate judge found insufficient evidence to connect them to the operation.
Nearly 12 hours after the top of the nightclub collapsed down onto patrons, rescue crews were still pulling out survivors from the debris. At the scene, firefighters removed blocks of broken concrete and sawed planks of wood to use them as planks to lift heavy debris as the noise of drills breaking through concrete filled the air.
The confirmed death toll had reached 44, Méndez said in the early afternoon. Earlier, officials had said there were at least 160 people injured.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, was among the victims. She had called President Luis Abinader at 12:49 a.m. saying she was trapped and that the roof had collapsed, First Lady Raquel Abraje told reporters. Officials said Cruz died later at the hospital.
“This is too great a tragedy,” Abraje said in a broken voice.
Relatives of merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof collapsed, said earlier that he was rescued. But Méndez said late Tuesday afternoon that information “turned out to be false.” He said rescue crews were still looking for Pérez.
Pérez’s manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was spattered with blood, told reporters at the scene that the concert began shortly before midnight, with the roof collapsing almost an hour later, killing the group’s saxophonist.
“It happened so quickly. I managed to throw myself into a corner,” he said, adding that he initially thought it was an earthquake.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse.
President Abinader wrote on X that all rescue agencies are “working tirelessly” to help those affected.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred,” he wrote.
Abinader arrived at the scene and hugged those looking for friends and family, some with tears streaming down their faces.
“We have faith in God that we will rescue even more people alive,” he told reporters.
At one hospital where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading aloud the names of survivors as a crowd gathered around her and yelled out the names of their loved ones.
Meanwhile, dozens of people gathered at the National Institute of Forensic Pathology, which projected pictures of the victims so their loved ones could identify them.
What is Jet Set?
It’s an iconic nightclub located in southern Santo Domingo that has operated for nearly five decades. It was known for its “Jet Set Mondays” which featured local and international artists.
The club opened in 1973 as a club and restaurant, becoming the most popular venue of its kind in the Dominican Republic, according to Listín Diario, a local newspaper.
It later moved from the place where it originally opened, celebrating its first anniversary with merengue and salsa icon Johnny Ventura.
The club underwent renovations in 2010 and 2015, and it was struck by lightning in 2023, according to the newspaper.
General admission tickets for Monday’s concert with Pérez were $32, while the VIP ones were $40, according to the club’s website.
Why did the roof collapse?
Authorities say it’s too early to determine why the roof fell. Firefighters removed blocks of broken concrete and created makeshift planks to try and reach survivors buried under the debris.
It’s unclear how often government officials inspect buildings in the Dominican Republic and when the last inspection was done at Jet Set.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works told The Associated Press that all officials were on scene and not immediately available. She referred questions to the mayor’s office.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office could not be immediately reached for comment.
The owners of Jet Set, who issued a statement saying they were cooperating with authorities, could not be immediately reached for comment.