Relatives of the 236 victims demand accountability in the Dominican Republic as the trial begins over one of the deadliest nightclub tragedies in the Caribbean.
Relatives of the 236 people who died after the roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo renewed their calls for justice this Monday in the Dominican Republic, as preliminary court proceedings began against the venue’s owners, siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat.
The tragedy struck in the early hours of April 8, when the ceiling of the iconic nightclub gave way during a packed live music performance.
The collapse left more than 180 people injured and shocked the Caribbean, both because of the scale of the disaster and the prominence of several of the victims.
“As parents, we are thirsty for justice, and we want justice to be done,” said Wilton Tejeda upon arriving at Santo Domingo’s Palace of Justice. Tejeda lost his 26-year-old daughter, a medical doctor who attended the event alongside four others who also died.
Families insist the collapse was not an accident. Tejeda stated that the owners were aware of structural weaknesses in the building, which originally operated as a movie theater before being converted into a nightclub without proper professional planning or structural safeguards.
Other relatives described the owners as “criminals” and supported the charges filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which accuses them of involuntary manslaughter and involuntary bodily harm. Carmen Carela, the aunt of one of the victims, demanded harsh punishment.
“They deserve a hundred years in prison. Lock them up and throw away the key,” she said.
Antonio and Maribel Espaillat were arrested in June but were later released under conditional measures, a decision that sparked outrage among families and across Dominican society.
According to prosecutors, Jet Set operated for years with “systematic and serious negligence” in maintaining and adapting its structure, placing the lives of customers and employees at constant risk.
Those killed in the collapse included merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing that night, a member of his band, former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, fashion designer Martín Polanco, and a son of former Senate president and former Public Works minister Eduardo Estrella. T
The victims also included citizens from Venezuela, France, Haiti, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, and Kenya, giving the tragedy international resonance.
