The toll from a nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic last week has risen to 231, the country's interior minister said Monday, after five more people succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
The roof of the Jet Set nightclub in the capital Santo Domingo came crashing down in the early hours of Tuesday last week on hundreds of people attending a concert by merengue star Rubby Perez, who also died in the Caribbean nation's worst disaster in decades.
More than 300 rescuers, aided by sniffer dogs, worked tirelessly for days to find survivors, and pulled 189 people alive from the mounds of twisted steel, zinc and brick that remain of the structure.
Identification of the deceased, and the handing over of remains to loved ones, was concluded early Saturday.
The Dominican government has announced a commission of national and international experts to investigate the calamity.
"We have confirmed a number of fatalities from the disaster that currently stands at 231 deaths," of whom 221 died at the scene, Dominican Interior Minister Faride Raful told reporters Monday.
Twelve people were still in hospital, according to health authorities. Three were in a critical condition.
A preliminary list of victims includes an Italian, two French citizens and, according to the US State Department, "several" Americans.
New York mayor Eric Adams arrived in Santo Domingo on Sunday and was scheduled to visit the disaster site.
His city hosts the largest Dominican community outside of the Caribbean country's borders.
"They are not merely my residents, I've considered them my family," he told reporters Monday.
"Over 200 members of my family lost their lives last week. And what do family members do during times of mourning? They mourn with you."
Aerial images of the site show a scene resembling the aftermath of an earthquake.
A video posted on social media showed the venue, which could hold 1,700 guests, suddenly plunged into darkness while Perez was singing, followed by crashing sounds and screams.
Besides 69-year-old Perez, other high-profile victims included two retired Major League Baseball players and a provincial governor.
President Luis Abinader has pledged to find out "what happened, why it happened, how it happened."
Six days of mourning decreed by Abinader ended Sunday.
