Jet Set nightclub owner ‘destroyed’ by roof collapse that killed 232 – National

The owner of a Dominican Republic nightclub where 232 people died following a roof collapse earlier this month has admitted that the building had been riddled with structural issues for more than a decade, and that plasterboard was used on multiple occasions to make repairs.

On Wednesday, in his first interview since the April 8 disaster, Antonio Espaillat, the manager and owner of the plagued Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, told local TV station Telesistema that plasterboard had been added to the roof hours before it caved in.

According to The Associated Press, he noted that plasterboard had fallen repeatedly through the years, including when water filtered through the club’s air conditioning units. Espaillat confirmed no one ever inspected the roof or water filtration systems.

He told reporters there were six air conditioning units on the roof, plus three water tanks, and that an electric generator was installed in an adjacent room, not on the roof.

Every six to eight years, a specialized crew would waterproof the roof, with the last waterproofing done about a month before the collapse, he explained.

“We always bought plasterboard. Always,” he continued.

Espaillat first learned of the tragedy when his sister called him while trapped in the debris alongside hundreds of other people who were attending a concert by merengue musician Rubby Pérez, who was among those killed.

He was in Las Vegas attending a convention when he received the news.

“To the families of the victims, I want to say I’m sorry. I’m very sorry,” Espaillat said. “I am destroyed,” he continued, adding that if he could have prevented the collapse, he would have done everything in his power to do so.

“There was no warning, nothing. We were all surprised,” he said.

Espaillat did not attend the scene during rescue efforts over concerns for his safety as angry crowds had gathered at the site.

The club, which was founded 52 years ago by Espaillat’s mother, Ana Grecia López, when he was just six years old, had become a pillar of the city’s nightlife, and remained in the same location for three decades before it collapsed this month with about 515 people inside, the owner said.

In the 53 hours following the disaster, rescue crews found 189 survivors. Dozens of others were hospitalized.

The victims included seven doctors, a retired United Nations official, former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi province and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, the AP reported.

At least three lawsuits have been filed against the owners, the Dominican government, and the Santo Domingo mayor’s office.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages from all and a criminal conviction for involuntary manslaughter against the owners.

Espaillat said he has barely slept in the weeks since the roof caved in and that he has been in touch with the families of his employees and some of the victims.

“I’m going to face everything,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Since the disaster, questions have been raised about the safety of buildings across Santo Domingo and the rest of the country. The Dominican government has created an expert task force dedicated to investigating the cause of the incident.

There is currently no government agency dedicated to inspecting the buildings of private businesses in the Dominican Republic, although President Luis Abinader announced last week that new legislation is expected to change that.

— With files from the Associated Press

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