The Roof Collapse at the Jet Set Night Club in the Dominican Republic Left Hundreds Dead

After the roof collapsed at the Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic on April 8, 2025, search teams went in to rescue as many clubgoers as possible. But what some still aren't sure about is why the roof collapsed in the Dominican Republic and how it might have been avoided.

Merengue singer Rubby Pérez and his band were in the middle of a performance in the early hours of April 8, 2025, when the roof suddenly collapsed on the stage and surrounding areas inside the club. More than 200 people have been reported dead. Search teams continue their efforts to recover as many bodies as possible.

According to the New York Post, an investigation into why the roof collapsed began shortly after the accident and while search teams were still in the middle of recovering bodies in the rubble. The Associated Press also reported that, according to officials, as of April 10, it was too early to know why the roof collapsed. Efforts were still concentrated on recovering victims of the accident.

The Jet Set nightclub opened for the first time in 1973. Later, in both 2010 and 2015, the club had some renovations done, per AP News. However, it's unclear if any of the renovations had to do with the roof. The Jet Set was also reportedly struck by lightning in 2023. It is not known when the club was last inspected and confirmed to be structurally secure.

From the time the roof collapsed at 1 a.m. on April 8, teams of rescue workers made efforts to find survivors and get them medical help. Eventually, though, the search switched to one for bodies rather than survivors. Pérez was confirmed to be among those who died at the club, as were some former professional athletes, including Tony Blanco, who once played for the Washington Nationals. Former New York Mets player Octavio Dotel also died in the accident.

More than 200 people have been confirmed dead because of the roof collapse, as of April 10. There were reportedly 189 survivors. Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Dominican Republic Emergency Operations Center, shared an update in a news conference following the collapse.

"We've practically combed ground zero, there's only a little bit left to look at," he shared, according to NBC News.

It was also revealed that the search team, made up of more than 300 firefighters, had officially transitioned to searching for bodies rather than survivors.

The Dominican Republic Emergency Operations Center shared a statement on X (formerly Twitter) in Spanish on April 9:

"Having exhausted all reasonable avenues for finding more survivors, the operation now enters a different, but equally sensitive and crucial, phase: the recovery of human bodies with the due respect and dignity that each victim deserves."