The tragic collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic that killed 231 was likely caused by the doomed club’s conversion into a music and entertainment venue, according to experts.
Speakers, lights and other equipment hung from the ceiling to turn the one-time movie theater into a nightime hotspot likely led to the deadly mishap — with a new report surfacing about debris raining down from the ceiling in recent weeks, Spanish-language outlet Noticias SIN reported.
“The roof wasn’t designed to support transformers, fans, speakers or the excess weight of accumulated debris,” structural engineer Andrik Soto told the outlet. “All of that adds up.”
Dominican government officials have not speculated on the cause of the April 8 tragedy that rocked the Caribbean nation and claimed two former major leaguers and the sister of another, among hundreds of other victims.
But Soto and Eduardo Fernandez Rodriguez, another prominent engineer, told Noticias SIN that, in addition to the nightclub equipment, six layers of lightweight concrete added to the roof to help channel off water could very well have caused the collapse.
“If six were placed, we’re talking about more than 500,000 additional kilos, [or more than 55 tons], on a structure that wasn’t designed for that,” Rodriguez said. “It’s as if they put the weight of 6,000 people on the roof.”
Both experts cautioned that their assessments are largely based on a study of the remains of the club and are speculative — and not an official determination.
But according to Noticias SIN, one local performer offered a more haunting observation.
Singer Sergio Vargas told the outlet that he had noticed debris falling from the ceiling at Jet Set in recent weeks — a chilling hint of the disaster to come.
“I saw the employees sweeping up the debris,” Vargas said. “They told me it was normal, that sometimes pieces of the ceiling fell.”
Among those killed were former Major League Baseball stars Tony Blanco and Octavio Dotel, as well as Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecrisit province and the sister of former big-league slugger Nelson Cruz.
Also killed was popular singer Rubby Perez, who was performing at the time.
