A horrible shooting occurred at William’s Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic. The death toll has now sadly exceeded 218 with a roof collapse responsible for this catastrophe. The event, which took place around 1 a.m. Tuesday, was during a concert performance by merengue superstar Rubby Pérez and his orchestra. Rescue operations have returned to recovery operations. As authorities revisit their emergency response, they now acknowledge that no survivors have been extracted from the debris since the first collapse.
Seven of the ten bodies recovered overnight were female, and identification is ongoing for the remaining bodies. Authorities counted a significant increase in the pace of removing bodies from the collapsed building late Wednesday into Thursday. This is a warning. The role of civil protection services was critical in clearing more than 70% of debris. This progress made the body recovery process more efficient and effective.
The Jet Set nightclub, built more than a half century ago, was outfitted to house no less than 500 clubgoers. As images of the tragedy flooded news outlets, questions swirled about the accountability of building codes and their regulators. Most of those victims suffered traumatic injury, primarily to the head and chest area. Health Minister Victor Atallah said nearly all the victims died on impact. Most were in seated positions when the ceiling gave way, cutting across their heads and chests.
Rescue teams have been going around the clock trying to rescue people over the past three days. Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the operations center, recognized their constant work. He said, “In the past few days, search and rescue teams have fought to remove the rubble … they are attending to the injured and rescuing those who are still living.”
To my knowledge, all reasonable options for locating any more survivors have been exhausted. Méndez has now turned the spotlight onto the sensitive and critical task of recovering human remains. He emphasized the importance of treating each victim with respect and dignity: “The operation is now in a different phase, nonetheless sensitive and crucial: the recovery of human bodies with due respect and the dignity that every victim deserves.”
As recovery efforts continue, officials face the grim reality that families are left waiting for news about their loved ones. The scope of this tragedy has sent an entire community reeling and mourning. Each casualty is not just a statistic, but a person who died in the blink of an eye. This points to an urgent need to research safety promotions for public spaces.
