Mons. Francisco Ozoria Acosta, Archbishop of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), expressed his deep regret and solidarity before the tragedy occurred early on Tuesday, April 8 at the Jet Set disco, where the ceiling collapse left at least 124 deaths, according to the last reports of the local authorities.
“With deep regret and sorrow for this tragedy that has happened in our city, in our country, we join all the relatives of those who have died and those who are sick, are injured,” says the prelate in A message.
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“The Catholic Church prays for this situation. We join in solidarity to all those affected. We promise our prayers for which they have died and we also want to join all that collaboration of many brothers especially attending, donating blood and trying to remedy this situation with the injured,” the archbishop continues.
After entrusting all those affected “the Lord and the Virgin, Our Lady of Alta Gracia”, protector of the Dominican people, the prelate indicated that later “a celebration” will be made by all those affected.
The Secretary General of the Dominican Episcopate Conference (CED) and Bishop of Baní, Mons. Faustino Burgos, yesterday offered a mass attended by CED personnel, to pray for all those affected in the tragedy.
The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said on Wednesday, April 9 in X that he and his wife Jeanette are “united in prayer while the people of the Dominican Republic regrets the recent tragedy that took place in the Jet Set Set night club in Santo Domingo.”
In the place, Rubio said, they also died “at least one American citizen and permanent legal residents of the United States, while rescue efforts continue.”
To conclude, the Secretary of State expressed his solidarity with those affected and their families and stressed that “the United States is ready to support our Dominican allies in these difficult times.”
Those killed at the Jet Set disco ascend to 124
As reported the BBC and, according to the Emergency Operations Center (COE), the dead in the tragedy went from 27 to 124.
The authorities have not yet determined the cause of the collapse of the roof in the disco, which occurred while the renowned Merenguero Rubby Pérez, 69, who is among the fatal victims.
Nelsy Milagros Cruz Martínez, governor of the province of Monte Cristi, died when he was treated at the hospital, according to Dominican President Luis Abinader.
Other deceased in the tragedy are the former benefits Octavio Dotel, who had a wide career in the professional baseball of the United States; and Tony Blanco Cabrera, 43.
Fashion designer Martín Polanco, known for his Dominican shirts designs and dressing figures such as Daddy Yankee and President Abinader, also lost his life.
Update at 12:08 GMT-5: The statements of Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States were added.
Walter Sánchez Silva
I am husband since 2008. With my wife we have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before birth. Since I joined ACI Press in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Colonia, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the family’s synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Sinodality, in 2023. I follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers the persecution of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as the ecclesial news in the region.