53 frantic hours of searching for survivors after the roof collapses at an iconic Dominican club

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A roof collapse at the legendary Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo has plunged the Dominican Republic into mourning.

Authorities say the disaster early Tuesday killed 222 people and injured more than 200 others. Nearly two dozen people remain hospitalized, with several in critical condition.

The biggest tragedy to strike the Dominican Republic in recent history has raised questions about the safety of infrastructure in the capital and beyond. While authorities have said it's too early to determine why the roof fell, the government has created a technical team to investigate the case.

Here's a timeline of what happened:

Monday, April 7

It was a “Jet Set Monday,” the day merengue musicians would play at the legendary club every week.

That day, acclaimed singer Rubby Pérez was to take the stage at 9 p.m. In typical Latino fashion, the music didn't start until 11:50 p.m., according to his manager, Enrique Paulino.

As the music began, more than 400 people inside the club applauded the singer known for hits including “Volveré” and “El Africano.”

Tuesday, April 8

Halfway through Pérez’s set, dust from the ceiling began falling into people drinks. Minutes later, the concrete ceiling collapsed onto the crowd.

At 12:44 am, the country’s 911 system received the first of 102 calls that day, according to Randolfo Rijo Gómez, the system’s director.

Two minutes later, at 12:46 a.m., Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, called President Luis Abinader.

“She told me, ‘Send everyone over here, send all the ambulances,’” Abinader told reporters.

Cruz was rescued but died of injuries at the hospital.

Ninety seconds after the first 911 call was received, police arrived. Eight minutes after that call, the first rescue units arrived.

In less than 25 minutes, authorities activated 25 soldiers, seven firefighting brigades and 77 ambulances, Gómez said.

They deployed dogs, thermal cameras and dozens of specialized equipment.

In his first press conference about the disaster, emergency operations director Juan Manuel Méndez said that at least 13 people had died and more than 70 were injured.

By that afternoon, the number of victims rose to 58 as more than 100 people donated blood at different centers across the capital.

Meanwhile, a crowd of anxious people looking for their loved ones pressed around the remains of the club, forcing authorities to grab a megaphone and ask that they make room for the dozens of ambulances.

The victims identified that day included former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera; Luis Solís, the saxophonist who was playing onstage when the roof collapsed; and the son of the public works minister.

By the end of the day, authorities announced that the number of victims had surged to 98, with the last survivor found early that afternoon.

Wednesday, April 9

In the predawn hours, rescue crews from Puerto Rico and Israel arrived to help local officials search for survivors and victims.

A collective cry was heard when Méndez, the emergency operations director, confirmed they had found the body of Rubby Pérez.

The number of victims soared to 184 as dozens of people began gathering at hospitals and the country’s forensic institute in search of their loved ones.

Wakes were held for Dotel and Pérez in the afternoon, with hundreds of people paying their respects, including MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martínez, who said he knew some 50 people who died at Jet Set.

More than 20 victims were identified as being from Haina, the hometown of Pérez located just southwest of Santo Domingo. Its mayor said officials would offer the families free funeral services.

In the evening, the government announced that it was moving to a recovery phase focused on finding bodies.

Thursday, April 10

The government held a memorial for Pérez at Santo Domingo’s National Theater that hundreds attended, including the country's president and merengue superstar Juan Luis Guerra.

As the coffin was carried out to the hearse, the crowd released white balloons and spontaneously sang “Volveré.”

Meanwhile, officials in Haina held a wake for at least 10 victims, with mourners crowding around each coffin to say their final farewells.

By late morning, the emergency operations director announced that crews had finished searching for victims and potential survivors after working for 53 continuous hours. Méndez broke down as he spoke, calling it “the most difficult task I've had in 20 years."

Officials removed heavy machinery, packed their equipment and evicted people from the area as they fumigated the building.

Crews had rescued 189 people alive from the rubble.

That afternoon, the president’s spokesman, Homero Figueroa, announced that a technical team would be created to determine what caused the roof to collapse, and that national and international experts would be part of it.

Friday, April 11

Heavy rain fell as dozens of people remained outside the country’s forensics institute, still wearing face masks as they complained about the odor and demanded the bodies of their loved ones.

A screen set up nearby showed the names of victims in different colors. Those in black meant that the bodies were ready but that no one had picked them up, while those in green meant the relatives had identified them.

Under a tarp, government officials met with family members who presented official documents of their loved ones in order to pick up their remains.

Among those waiting at the forensics institute was Carlos Severino, who lost all three of his children: Dianny Escarlet Severino 31; Diego Armando Severino, 27; and Mariani Escarlet Severino, 23.

In a phone interview, Severino described them as hardworking, honest and serious.

“To describe Dianny is to describe an angel. Mariani was the joy of the home. Diego was tenacious, a worker,” he said as he began sobbing.

Doctors treating the injured at public hospitals said several of them remain in critical condition.

Dr. Julio Landrón said “a lot of them” will have permanent injuries, ranging from paralysis to a damaged finger.