Jet Set night club Santo Domingo: Sports stars Tony Blanco and Octavio Dotel among 60 killed after roof collapses in iconic Dominican Republic club

The ceiling at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo caved in at 12.44am local time on Tuesday (8 April), crushing those inside. More than 60 people have been confirmed dead, including Tony Blanco, who played professional baseball for Washington Nationals as well as the Chunichi Dragons and the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.

Blanco, 44, also played the sport in Japan in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, before retiring in 2016. His 19-year-old son, Tony Blanco Jr, is a league player for the Bradenton Marauders, after being signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022.

Baseball World Series winner Octavio Dotel also died after the roof collapse in Santo Domingo, which, in addition to the dozens killed, has injured more than 160 people.

Earlier on Tuesday, Dotel, 51, was reported as having been rescued from the rubble after screaming for help. However, Dotel's brother Angel told El Nuevo Diario newspaper that he died before being pulled from underneath the debris.

Crews continue to search for potential survivors at the iconic nightclub, popular with politicians, athletes and other stars. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse or when the Jet Set building was last inspected. The club issued a statement saying it was cooperating with authorities. It said: "The loss of human life leaves us in a state of deep pain and dismay."

Reacting to the deaths of Dotel and Blanco, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said: "Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo. We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family. The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today."