Rescue teams have concluded their operations at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, capital of Dominican Republic, after the building's roof collapsed early Tuesday, killing more than 220 people, with nearly 200 survivors pulled from the rubble in the initial hours.
The tragic collapse occurred shortly after midnight on Tuesday during a concert attended by politicians, athletes, and other prominent figures. Recovery efforts, which intensified overnight, revealed numerous victims, the majority of whom were female. The identification process is ongoing as families await answers.
"Yeah, I know my sister. And we find out about 6 o'clock in the morning watching TV. And we found out what had happened. We knew that she loved that discotheque. She's always there, almost every Monday she was there. Nothing, we saw, you know, the enormous amount of debris, whatever it is. We knew that that was big," said Ismael Matias, a family member of one of the victims.
The roof collapsed while famed merengue artist Rubby Perez was performing, and he was also among those killed. His funeral, attended by President Luis Abinader and Latin music icon Juan Luis Guerra, took place on Thursday.
By Thursday afternoon, the Dominican Republic's Director of Emergency Operations confirmed that all recovery efforts had concluded, and the site was handed over to authorities for investigation.
Rescue operations end as Santo Domingo nightclub collapse death toll exceeds 220
Rescue operations end as Santo Domingo nightclub collapse death toll exceeds 220
Rescue operations end at Santo Domingo nightclub collapse, toll exceeds 220
The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 52,418, with over 118,000 others injured, since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out in early October 2023, said Gaza-based health authorities in a statement on Thursday.
In the past 24 hours, at least 18 Palestinians were killed, and 77 others were injured in the Israeli military operations in the enclave, according to the statement.
On Thursday, Israel launched an air strike on a building in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, claiming eight lives, while Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip also suffered strikes, with four killed.
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Thursday that the group had launched an ambush on an Israeli military convoy in Rafah in southern Gaza, killing and injuring several Israeli soldiers. So far, the Israeli side has not responded to this.
Eyal Zamir, chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said Thursday that Israel is dealing with a complex multi-front war, and the most prominent challenge at present is to bring the detainees back to Israel.
Zamir said the IDF will deliver a decisive strike against Hamas if necessary, but he did not elaborate further on this.
On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that it is a very important goal to have the detainees released, but Israel's top goal is to defeat Hamas and it must be achieved.
The Israeli Army Radio reported that Netanyahu is expected to hold a special meeting with senior defense officials on Friday, and the Israeli forces will intensify their military operations in the Gaza Strip after the meeting.
Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 52,418
