Maximo Peña had frequented the Jet Set nightclub every Monday for the past three decades. This week, he eagerly attended a concert featuring the renowned Dominican singer Rubby Pérez, accompanied by his wife and sister. Tragically, all three are now trapped beneath the wreckage of the nightclub, which collapsed during the performance, resulting in at least 184 fatalities.
“I haven’t heard any news about any of them,” stated Shailyn Peña, Maximo’s 17-year-old daughter, as she sat on a wall outside the devastated venue. “It was just another Monday night for them. In fact, my dad invited my mum to come too but at the last minute she decided not to go. It was a blessing in disguise.”
Rescue efforts continue amid uncertainty
As Shailyn spoke, rescue teams were diligently searching through the debris inside the building, straining to hear any signs of life underneath. They were joined by specialized search teams from Israel and Mexico, employing advanced heat-seeking technology in hopes of finding any remaining survivors. Shailyn noted that her cousin is one of the rescue workers, sifting through the ruins in search of her own uncle, providing a sense of comfort amidst the chaos.
However, the unbearable wait for news has taken a toll on Shailyn’s emotional state. “I feel the urge to just go in there and push aside all the rocks and pull him out. But as much as I want to, I really can’t. I just have to sit here and wait it out,” she expressed.
National mourning and community grief
The authorities are making efforts to keep the public updated, revealing the death toll that rises with each passing hour. Rescue workers frequently emerge from the wreckage, carrying bodies covered in blankets on stretchers. Occasionally, a survivor is rescued, reigniting hope among the anxious families waiting outside. “Nothing can be ruled out,” stated the Director of the Emergency Operations Centre, Juan Manuel Mendez. “We are going to go over every inch of the rubble here to give the families of those caught up in the disaster some kind of closure.”
In response to the tragedy, President Luis Abinader declared three days of national mourning, underscoring the profound impact of the incident on the nation. Among the deceased were notable figures, including Pérez, two beloved former baseball players, Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco, as well as a regional governor, alongside countless fans of merengue music.
As rescue operations continue, authorities remain focused on search and recovery; however, the looming question regarding the cause of the collapse is starting to emerge. Speculations suggest that a fire at the nightclub two years prior may have compromised the building’s structural integrity, with concerns that subsequent repairs were inadequate or did not meet safety standards.
Antonio Espaillat, the nightclub owner, expressed his condolences through a video message on social media, assuring that he and his team are fully cooperating with the investigation. Shailyn, aware of the prior fire, shares the belief that it may have contributed to this disaster. Her younger stepsisters, despite attempts to shield them, learned about their parents’ fate from classmates, leaving them “terrified,” she lamented.
This Thursday marks Shailyn’s birthday, a day she would typically celebrate surrounded by her father, stepmother, and aunt. Instead, she faces a heart-wrenching wait for news of her missing family members, caught in one of the most tragic incidents in her country’s history.