MIAMI – People from all around the world are offering their support to the Dominican Republic after a roof collapse at a Santo Domingo nightclub claimed the lives of at least 124 people.
That includes Dominicans and others in South Florida, with a vigil held in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood Wednesday evening.
The collapse happened as merengue icon Rubby Pérez sang to a packed crowd at the Jet Set nightclub.
Pérez was among the dead, along with longtime Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, former MLB player Tony Blanco, and Nelsy Cruz, a local governor and the sister of MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz.
The Miami vigil was held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the center of the area’s Dominican community, Juan Pablo Duarte Park at 1776 NW 28th St.
“Just the thought of knowing that there were children that went to bed, parents that went out, and they woke up in the morning and now they’re orphans, is something that breaks our hearts,” Aisha Cabrera, who lost friends in the collapse, told Local 10 News.
Wendy Regalado, a Dominican actress living in Miami, announced that her cousin was found dead in the rubble.
Ahead of the vigil, mourning Dominican-Americans said they were seeking answers.