Officials scramble to identify victims of Dominican club roof collapse that killed at least 184

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The number of victims who died after a roof collapsed at an iconic nightclub surged to 184 late Wednesday as dozens of people lingered outside the Dominican Republic’s forensic institute for news of their loved ones still missing more than a day after disaster struck.

Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations, said crews at the scene were still looking for victims and potential survivors, although no one has been found alive since Tuesday afternoon.

“We're not going to abandon anyone. Our work will continue,” he said.

Several blocks away from the rubble, people searching for friends and family donned face masks and began complaining about a bad odor as they pleaded with officials to give them information about their loved ones.

Earlier in the day, National Institute of Forensic Pathology officials read the names of 54 victims they had identified so far.

“We cannot wait until nighttime!” said one woman who was waiting for news of a relative whose name she did not hear. “We're going to go crazy!”

Officials called for calm, saying they had already delivered at least 28 bodies to their families but did not yet have a tally of all the bodies recovered. Late Wednesday, officials raised the number of dead to at least 184, with over 200 injured.

“The authorities are selling us false dreams!” cried out José Sánchez, whose brother and brother-in-law were still missing.

The legendary Jet Set club in Santo Domingo was packed with musicians, professional athletes and government officials when dust began falling from the ceiling and into people's drinks early Tuesday.

Minutes later, the entire roof collapsed. Concrete slabs killed some instantly and trapped dozens of others on a dance floor where hundreds had been dancing to a lively merengue concert. In the minutes that followed, the country's 911 system received more than 100 calls, many from people buried under rubble.

The victims include merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the crowd before disaster struck. His body was found early Wednesday, said emergency operations director Juan Manuel Méndez.

The government announced Wednesday evening that it was moving to a recovery phase focused on finding bodies after 145 people were rescued from the wreckage of the nightclub. Rescue crews from Puerto Rico and Israel had arrived early Wednesday to help with the search.

Santo Domingo Mayor Carolina Mejía praised what she said were acts of love, including one Dominican who was handing out coffee to those at the scene and a man on vacation from Costa Rica who joined the search because he's part of a rescue crew back home.

So far, only a few dozen people have been identified in one of the worst disasters to hit the Dominican Republic. Those who died include a cardiologist, a government architect, a retired police officer, a retired United Nations official, the son and daughter-in-law of the minister of public works and the brother of the vice minister of the Ministry of Youth.

Also killed was former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, Satosky Terrero, spokesperson for the country’s Professional Baseball League, told The Associated Press.

Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, alerted President Luis Abinader about the disaster. She called him from underneath the rubble but later died at a hospital.

Other victims include saxophonist Luis Solís, who was playing onstage when the roof fell; New York-based fashion designer Martín Polanco; several Venezuelan bartenders; and an Army captain who left behind four young girls. Grupo Popular, a financial services company, said three of its employees also died, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife. One man tearfully told reporters that he lost five relatives, including his wife and son.

Dozens of victims remained unidentified.

“I have been to many hospitals, and I have not found her,” Deysi Suriel said of her friend, 61-year-old Milca Curiel, a North Carolina resident who was on vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Health Minister Dr. Víctor Elías Atallah Lajam announced the creation of a commission to provide psychological help for the victims’ families.

More than 20 of the injured remained hospitalized Wednesday, including at least eight in critical condition.

“A point in their favor is that they're young,” said Dr. Julio Landrón, director general of the Dr. Ney Arias Lora Trauma Hospital, which has 21 of the Jet Set injured, including five in critical condition.

Landrón warned, however, that none of them are in the clear, noting some suffered fractures in the skull, femur and pelvis.

“They spent hours, more than six, seven, eight hours under rubble with multiple fractures, multiple injuries, with bleeding related to being crushed,” he said.

Dozens of frantic relatives listened to officials read aloud a list of the identified victims at the forensics institute, while others went from hospital to hospital looking for their loved ones, some clutching photographs.

“Francisco Alberto Méndez ... Rosa Herminia Pérez ... Ramón Teodoro Jiménez ... Juan Manuel Santana,” one official read as the crowd strained to listen.

“Here! Here!” yelled one person upon hearing the name of their loved one.

In the crowd was Virginia Rosario, who was looking for relatives including her cousin, who is still missing, and her sister, Rosa Herminia Pérez, who died and whom she described as “beautiful, precious, very nice.”

“I'm in a lot of pain,” she said. “I have had many moments of despair.”

Officials said late Wednesday morning that they had not been able to identify at least 33 bodies.

“This is a very traumatic situation,” said national lawmaker Pedro Martínez, who also has relatives missing.

Among those searching for friends and family was Kimberly Jones, whose godson, 45-year-old artist Osiris Blanc, and his friends were missing.

“It was their favorite place, they went there almost every Monday,” Jones said. She said her niece also was missing.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse, or when the Jet Set building was last inspected.

The club issued a statement saying it was cooperating with authorities. A spokesperson for the family that owns the club told The Associated Press that she passed along questions about potential inspections.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works referred questions to the mayor’s office. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Colonel Valdez speaks to reporters at the National Institute of Forensic Pathology in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, while holding photos of people who remain missing after a roof collapsed at the Jet Set nightclub during a merengue concert. (AP Photo/Marvin Del Cid)

Rescue workers carry the recovered body of a victim who died when the roof collapsed two nights prior at the Jet Set nightclub during a merengue concert, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Relatives wait as rescue workers search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, early Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Women cry during the search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Soldiers arrive to the area where rescue workers search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

A woman touches a photo of one of the missing during the search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Rescue workers cut a wall while searching for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two days prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

A rescue worker rests as others continue the search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Rescue workers stand by as they take turns searching for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights ago during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Rescue workers use sheets as they recover bodies from the rubble at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

A rescue worker comforts a woman during the search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Soldiers guard access to the area while rescue workers search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Rescue workers search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

A rescue worker comforts a woman during the search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights prior during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

A soldier hydrates while rescue workers search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eddy Vittini)

A woman stands outside the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Rescue workers search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed two nights before during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

A relative of a missing person is comforted by a friend outside Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

People hold up photos of their relatives while waiting to identify them at the National Institute of Forensic Pathology after the roof collapsed at Jet Set nightclub during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Workers search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025.(AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

People read lists of survivors as crews search for others trapped at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

People searching for their missing relatives peruse a list of names outside the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

A relative of a missing person is comforted by friends outside Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

People listen to lists of survivors as crews search for others trapped in the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025.(AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

People gather outside the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Relatives cry while waiting for news of loved ones outside the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eddy Vittini)

Rescue workers carry a person pulled from the wreckage of the nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eddy Vittini)

Rescue workers search for survivors at the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eddy Vittini)

Rescue workers carry a person pulled from the wreckage of the Jet Set nightclub after its roof collapsed during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Relatives of missing people embrace while waiting at the National Institute of Forensic Pathology after the roof collapsed at Jet Set nightclub during a merengue concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

DENVER (AP) — A soldier present at an after-hours nightclub where more than 100 immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally were taken into custody last weekend has been charged with distributing cocaine, court records show.

Staff Sgt. Juan Gabriel Orona-Rodriguez, who is assigned to Fort Carson, an Army post near the illegal club in Colorado Springs, was arrested Wednesday evening, the FBI said in a statement.

Orona-Rodriquez has been charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to an arrest affidavit. It said he allegedly sold cocaine to an undercover agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration days before the raid.

It wasn't immediately known if Orona-Rodriguez — a member of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team in the 4th Infantry Division — had a lawyer ahead of an expected court appearance Thursday.

The FBI said the arrest followed an investigation by the DEA, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and officials at Fort Carson.

More than 300 law enforcement officers and officials from multiple agencies participated in Sunday’s operation at the nightclub, which had been under investigation for months for alleged activities including drug trafficking, prostitution and “crimes of violence,” said Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division.

Cocaine was among the drugs found, Pullen said at a news conference.

Orona-Rodriquez was one of about 17 active-duty U.S. Army service members who were at the club, known as Warike, when it was raided early Sunday, the affidavit said.

He appears to have held a leadership role in a business that provides armed security at nightclubs, including at Warike, according to the document. However, it did not say whether he was working security there at the time of the raid. It notes that he had been warned by his commanding officer this spring that he could not work for the security company.

Rodriguez received more than a dozen Army awards during his almost nine years in service, including an Army Commendation Medal with combat device, which is earned during a deployment where the soldier was “performing meritoriously under the most arduous combat conditions,” according to Army descriptions of the award.

Of the 17 soldiers who were at the venue at the time of the raid, 16 were patrons and one was working there in a security role, a U.S. official said on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. Sixteen of the soldiers there were assigned to Fort Carson, the official did not know where the seventeenth was assigned.

Investigators suspect Orona-Rodriguez was getting cocaine from an unidentified Mexican citizen who is “unlawfully present in the United States without admission,” according to the affidavit.

President Donald Trump posted a link to the DEA video of the raid on his social media site, Truth Social. “A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes,” the president wrote.

Associated Press writer Tara Copp in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

In this image taken from video released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, officers stop a patron from a nightclub where a raid occurred Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration via AP)

In this image taken from video released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, a law enforcement officer with a weapon drawn is shown at a nightclub where a raid occurred Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration via AP)