Nightclub Roof Collapses Kills At Least 18 (Video)

What began as a lively night of music and dancing turned into a horrifying disaster Saturday night when the roof of one of the Dominican Republic’s most iconic nightclubs, Jet Set, suddenly collapsed — killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 120 others.

The moment of devastation was caught on video, now circulating across social media. Just moments before the collapse, legendary merengue singer Rubby Pérez was electrifying the crowd. Then, in an instant, chaos. The ceiling gave way without warning, swallowing the celebration in a cloud of dust and screams.

“I thought it was an earthquake,” said Enrique Paulino, Pérez’s manager, who escaped with injuries. “There was no warning. Just a terrible sound, and then everything fell.” Pérez was later pulled from the rubble alive.

Among the dead is Nelsy Cruz, governor of Monte Cristi and sister of former MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz. The tragedy also narrowly missed another baseball star — former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, who survived the collapse.

As of this morning, rescue crews are still digging through the wreckage, hoping to find survivors. “We believe people are still alive beneath the debris,” said Juan Manuel Méndez, head of the Dominican Republic’s Center for Emergency Operations. “We will not rest until every person is accounted for.”

President Luis Abinader visited the site, hugging grieving families and thanking exhausted rescue workers. But as the death toll rises, questions are piling up about how this could have happened at one of the country’s most well-known entertainment venues.

Locals say the club, built in the 1980s, had long been rumored to have structural issues. “We’ve been partying here since I was young,” said Carlos Mendoza, a longtime Santo Domingo resident. “But the building always felt old. Everyone knew the roof sagged during storms. No one did anything.”

The cause of the collapse has yet to be confirmed, but many are demanding answers — and fast.

“Where were the inspections? Where were the safety protocols?” asked Dominican journalist María Fernanda Lugo, speaking to a local radio station. “We’ve lost 18 souls. There must be accountability.”

For Americans with ties to the island, the disaster hits close to home. The Dominican Republic is one of the top Caribbean destinations for U.S. travelers, with over two million Americans visiting each year.

“I’ve been to Jet Set — this is shocking,” said Lisa Thompson, a Florida business owner with Dominican heritage. “The government needs to get serious about safety. Too many lives were at risk for a night of fun.”

As this investigation continues, many are comparing the tragedy to failures seen in other parts of the world — and asking whether political corruption, poor regulation, or both, are to blame.

In a country that welcomes millions of Americans each year, this catastrophic failure has exposed major cracks — not just in concrete, but in leadership. Eighteen people are dead. Families are grieving. And a nation is demanding more than condolences — they want justice.

“We need truth. We need accountability. And we need it now,” said one local volunteer at the scene. “This can never happen again.”