“We will not give up on anyone. Our work will continue,” he said.
Meanwhile, dozens of people in the Santo Domingo capital are still looking for loved ones, and are frustrated after visiting hospitals and the country’s forensic institutes.
Doctors warn that some of the twenty patients who are still hospitalized are still not clear, especially eight patients 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 the injuries included fractures of the backbone, femur and pelvis, which were caused by cement slabs falling on Melenger concerts at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, and more than 200 people were injured. The government said Wednesday night that it is turning to the recovery phase of searching for the body, but Emergency Operations Center director Juan Manuel Mendez said the crew at the scene is still searching for victims and potential survivors, although no one has been alive since Tuesday afternoon. “We will not give up on anyone. Our work will continue,” he said.
The Legend Club was packed with musicians, professional athletes and government officials, when dust began to fall from the ceiling into people’s drinks. A few minutes later, the roof collapsed.
The victims included Merengue Icon Rubby Perez, who sang to the crowd before the roof fell. Former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera; Nelsy Cruz of Montechristi, Northwestern Province, whose brothers are seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz.
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.
Randolfo Rijo Gomez, director of the country’s 911 system, said it had received more than 100 calls, with several people buried under the rubble. He noted that the police arrived at the scene within 90 seconds and was the first response unit in the following minutes. He said that in less than half an hour, 25 soldiers, seven fire brigades and 77 ambulances were activated.
Authorities said staff members used dogs and thermal cameras to find the victims and rescued 145 survivors from the rubble.
It is unclear what caused the roof collapse or when the jet building was last inspected.
The government said late Wednesday that it will conduct a thorough investigation once the recovery phase is over.
The club issued a statement saying it is working with the authorities. A family spokesman who owns the club told the Associated Press that she raised questions about potential inspections.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Public Works Department referred the question to the mayor’s office. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
