The memorial was held Thursday for Merengue stars, and the crew completed a search for the body when a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed, as the number of dead soared to 221.
The mourners dressed in black and white gift givers flowed into the National Theater in Santo Domingo, with Rubby Perez’s body lying in an enclosed coffin. Perez performed on a stage packed with jet clubs earlier Tuesday when dust began to fall from the ceiling and a few seconds later the roof was in trouble.
President Luis Abinader and his wife, Raquel Arbaje, arrived at the theater and stood next to Perez’s coffin for a few minutes. Some mourners doubled their tears when Perez sang the national anthem. The famous Dominican musician Juan Luis Guerra is one of the people who come together to respect.
Perez, 69, turned to music after a car accident, which prevented him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. He is known for his hit songs Volverehe sang with the orchestra of Wilfrido Vargas, Buscando tus besos As a solo artist.
The reason for the crash is unclear
Just blocks from the memorial, heavy equipment began to stand up from the once-standing jet, and rescuers packed up their equipment.
Meanwhile, a group of prosecutors arrived.
It is not clear what caused the roof to collapse or when the last inspection was conducted. The government said it would conduct a thorough investigation and the club owners said they were working with the authorities.
More than 50 people were killed and 160 injured when the roof collapsed in a concert in the capital of the Dominican Republic.
Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, collapsed while addressing reporters.
“Thank you, God, because today we completed the hardest task of my 20 years,” he said as he cried, removing the microphone from his face. As he continued to say “Please forgive me,” other officials patted him on the back before passing the microphone to the Army officer.
Officials said 189 people were rescued from the ruins. More than 200 people were injured, 24 of whom remained hospitalized, including 8 in critical condition.
Health Minister Victor Atallah said: “If the trauma is too great, there is not much time to save the situation. He and other doctors said some of the injured people had fractured bones, skull, femur and pelvis.
Family frustration
Many have been anxiously awaiting news from their loved ones, becoming increasingly frustrated by the drip of information provided by the hospital and the country’s forensic research institutes.
Authorities said Thursday that at least 146 bodies have been identified.
Maria Luisa Taveras told TV station Noticias Sin that she was looking for her sister.
“We’re walking everywhere,” she said.
Tavelas said the family has been spread out, with relatives at every hospital and the National Institute of Forensic Pathology. Dozens of people were waiting at the institute on Thursday, wearing masks, complaining about their odor as they demanded the release of their loved ones’ bodies.
“The smell is unbearable,” Wendy Sosa said. Sosa told the Associated Press over the phone that the situation was “chaotic” there, and officials had built a refrigerated container to handle the delivered bodies.
She cried when she described her cousin as being kind, real and “very understanding.”
‘No words’
The victims identified so far include former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera; Nelsy Cruz of Montechristi, Northwestern Province, whose brother is seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz.
Dotel will be buried in Santo Domingo on Thursday. Hundreds of people participated in his wake Wednesday, including Hall of Famer David Ortiz, former Boston Red Sox. Ortiz said there were numerous people participating in Dotel’s awakening.
“He is the one that everyone loves,” Ortiz told reporters. “It’s hard, it’s very difficult.”
Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member Pedro Martinez attended another wake-up Thursday.
“There is no word to describe how we all feel pain,” Martinez said, who met more than 50 dead people. “Life is nothing more than breathing.”
Also killed was a retired UN official. Saxophone style Luis Solis, playing on stage when the roof drops. New York-based fashion designer Martin Polanco; the son and daughter of the minister of public works; the brother of the deputy minister of youth; and three employees of Grupo Pocult, a financial services company, include the president of AFP’s popular bank and his wife.
More than 20 victims are from the hometown of Rubby Perez, Haina, just southwest of Santo Domingo.
On Thursday, the governor held a public awakening and built 10 caskets under the banner, which read: “Haina said goodbye to her beloved children with great sorrow.”
Among the mourners is Juancho Guillen who lost his wife three months ago, and his brother-in-law, died in Jet Set.
“This family was shocked and damaged,” he told Noticias Sin. “We were almost dead, too.”
