The Dominican Republic is seriously going through it right now. So there was this super popular nightclub in Santo Domingo called Jet Set, right? Total hotspot, always packed, people dancing, live music, the whole vibe. But like, late Monday night—April 8—it turned into an actual nightmare. The entire roof collapsed while a huge crowd was partying inside, and it’s, like, honestly heartbreaking. Authorities say at least 113 people died, and over 150 more were injured. It’s one of the worst tragedies the country has seen in, like, forever.
So the collapse happened just after midnight, around 12:44 AM, when the iconic merengue singer Rubby Pérez was performing. Like, he’s a total legend, and he was literally on stage when the roof gave way. He didn’t survive either, which is just so devastating. Witnesses said people started noticing dust and bits of debris falling from the ceiling, and then, boom, it all came down. It was super sudden and terrifying.
And get this, two former Major League Baseball players were also killed—Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco. Tony was only 43, and according to people who were there, he actually pushed another player, Esteban Germán, out of the way and saved him before getting hit himself. Talk about being a hero. Also, Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Monte Cristi and the sister of MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz, was at the club and she didn’t make it either. Like, the entire country is just, like, reeling right now.
Rescue crews rushed to the scene and worked non-stop trying to pull people out. Over 130 people were saved from the rubble early on, which is, like, the only good part of this story. And President Luis Abinader showed up that morning to check things out himself. He said they’re using every single government resource to help and figure out what went wrong.
People are already asking, like, how this even happened. The club’s been around since the 70s and had renovations a couple times—like in 2010 and 2015—and even got hit by lightning in 2023. But still, no one expected this. The management says they’re gonna fully cooperate with investigators, but honestly, so many people are demanding answers right now.
The president declared a three-day period of national mourning, which is, like, the least they could do. Flags are at half-mast and even the Senate stopped all meetings to show respect. Everyone’s grieving and super emotional. It’s just, like, one of those things that shakes a whole country, you know?
Sending love to everyone affected. This is gonna take a long time to heal.
XOXO,
Valley Girl News
Image by The Associated Press
