Rescuers continued to clear debris after the roof of an iconic nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed on Tuesday morning, killing at least 79 people, including former baseball players, and injuring more than 220, UNN reports, citing CNN.
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"We continue to clear the rubble and search for people," Juan Manuel Mendes, director of the Center for Emergency Operations, said Tuesday evening. "We will relentlessly search for people."
According to authorities, at least 300 people were in the Jet Set nightclub in the capital, Santo Domingo, when the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. during a performance by merengue artist Rubby Perez and his orchestra. Perez's whereabouts were unknown Tuesday evening amid fears he may be among the dead.
On Tuesday morning, families of the missing gathered at the scene and shared photos of their loved ones as dozens of ambulances took the injured to the hospital.
The country's Ministry of Health increased the death toll from 66 to 79 on Tuesday evening, and efforts to find survivors are ongoing. According to the National Emergency System, at least 223 people were injured in the roof collapse.
The cause of the collapse is currently unknown.
Tragedy in Dominica: Club roof collapse claims the lives of 66 people09.04.25, 02:10