Owner of Dominican Republic nightclub apologises for fatal roof collapse
Antonio Espaillat, the owner of the Dominican Republic nightclub Jet Set where a roof collapse killed more than 200 people in April, has apologised for the incident.
When speaking out for the first time since April 8th, he explained that the club had suffered filtration problems before the accident.
The collapse happened during a performance by merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among those killed during the tragedy, alongside a governor, former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and a member of Congress, per The New York Times.
According to local reports, 231 people were killed. A further 180 people were injured. Owner Espaillat insisted that, “We always bought plasterboard. Always.” He explained the ceiling was made from plaster tiles, which often fell. On the night of the incident, he explained that a new plasterboard had been added to the ceiling just hours before the collapse.
Around the time of the incident, Carlos Mendoza Díaz, president of the Dominican Association of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors, said the building was recently damaged. “We have gathered information that it was not only a structure over 50 years old, built for a movie theatre and later converted into a nightclub, and obviously, these are different safety parameters,” he said.
He added: “We also know that a fire occurred a few years ago, and perhaps the combination of these events could have caused the collapse.” Espaillat said the club had never received a structural review from authorities.
Espaillat apologised to the victims’ families, saying he’s “going to face everything”. He explained: “I’m not going anywhere. To the families of the victims, I want to say I’m sorry. I’m very sorry. I am completely destroyed.”
So far, a family of one of the victims has pressed charges against the owner. A BBC report says other families will file lawsuits in the coming weeks.
A local police lieutenant, Virgilio Rafael Cruz Aponte, also died in the incident. Aponte’s family have stated that they will bring manslaughter charges against the venue’s owners. They also accused the local government of neglecting the venue’s safety checks.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.