Heavy machinery and drones were part of a large search and rescue operation at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the capital.
The death toll in Tuesday’s nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic kept steadily rising, as rescue workers using heavy machinery, drones and dogs worked into the night in a frantic quest to find survivors.
By late Tuesday, at least 98 people had died, after the roof suddenly caved in at about 12:45 a.m. during a concert at Jet Set, a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo. Its Monday night dance party was a decades-old tradition frequented by a who’s who of Dominican society — many of whom were still trapped inside.
Among those either killed or injured during the merengue concert were a governor, a member of the Dominican Republic’s congress and two former U.S. Major League Baseball players.
“There are not enough words to express the pain this event causes,” the club’s owner, Antonio Espaillat, said in a video posted on social media. “What happened has been devastating for everyone.”
Officials said they were focused on rescues and had not yet begun to investigate the cause of the tragedy. The building, a former movie theater, was at least 50 years old and had been the scene of a fire several years ago.
The authorities said it was unclear how many people were inside at the time of the collapse. Victims were still being pulled from the rubble, alive and dead.