A roof cave-in at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic killed two former Major League Baseball players and left several of former star Pedro Martinez’s relatives trapped under rubble.
As of Wednesday, 113 people were confirmed dead and 155 were in medical facilities, the Dominican Emergency Operations Center wrote on X.
The collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the country’s capital, came around 1 a.m. Tuesday. Authorities haven’t publicized the cause.
The country’s Ministry of Sports and Recreation confirmed on Instagram that Octavio Dotel, 51, a former MLB pitcher who played for 13 teams in 15 years, including the 2011 world champion St. Louis Cardinals, and Tony Blanco, 44, a former Washington Nationals infielder and outfielder, died from the tragedy.
Former MLB slugger Nelson Cruz, who was on the Texas Rangers that won the American League in 2010 and 2011 and who last played in 2023, confirmed on Instagram that his sister Nelsy Cruz, governor of the Dominican Republic’s Monte Cristi province, was also killed.
Mr. Martinez, a National Baseball Hall of Famer who helped pitch the Boston Red Sox to the 2004 title, said in a video posted to Instagram, “I still have family members that are still in the [rubble] and we don’t know what happened to them but we just want to be strong, like we have always been.”
He added on X that “with a heavy heart I send condolences to all our family members and the people in the United States that have family in the Dominican Republic. We are sad and affected by the tragedy. Our hearts are with you.”
In a statement, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, “Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo. … The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today.”
The victims were at the club for a Monday night merengue concert traditionally held there. Singer Rubby Perez, who was performing, also died amid the collapse, according to The Associated Press.
The club’s owners wrote on Instagram that “in this difficult moment, our prayers are with each of the affected families. We share their pain as if it were our own, because we are also in mourning. We are collaborating fully and transparently with the relevant authorities to assist the victims and clarify what happened,” as translated from Spanish.
