SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The number of victims who died after a roof collapsed at an iconic nightclub surged to 184 late Wednesday as dozens of people lingered outside the Dominican Republic’s forensic institute for news of their loved ones still missing more than a day after disaster struck.
Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations, said crews at the scene were still looking for victims and potential survivors, although no one has been found alive since Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re not going to abandon anyone. Our work will continue,” he said.
Several blocks away from the rubble, people searching for friends and family donned face masks and began complaining about a bad odor as they pleaded with officials to give them information about their loved ones.
Earlier in the day, National Institute of Forensic Pathology officials read the names of 54 victims they had identified so far.
“We cannot wait until nighttime!” said one woman who was waiting for news of a relative whose name she did not hear. “We’re going to go crazy!”
Officials called for calm, saying they had already delivered at least 28 bodies to their families but did not yet have a tally of all the bodies recovered. Late Wednesday, officials raised the number of dead to at least 184, with over 200 injured.
AP
