Topics: News, World News, Music
A man who survived a roof collapsing above him in the middle of a nightclub has described the horrific scene after more than 200 people lost their lives.
There were hundreds of people inside Santo Domingo's Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic earlier this week, when the roof of the building suddenly collapsed at around 1.00am.
At the time, singer Rubby Pérez was performing and videos quickly began circulating of the roof falling before the entire structure caved in on itself.
Now, one survivor of the horrifying incident has spoken about what happened, explaining he had been dancing with his mother when the roof came down.
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When it first began, Carwin Javie Molleja, 32, didn't think too much of it
"No-one thought that because a small stone fell the entire roof was going to collapse," he told BBC.
But when the incident escalated, chaos ensued inside the nightclub.
"What I have in my head are the screams, the loud sound of the ceiling falling in, my mom's screams asking me if I'm OK, me asking her if she's OK," he recalled
"Everything happened so fast. I guess I closed my eyes and my instinct was to hug my mom."
Carwin and his mother were standing near the stage, and although they were struck on the head, they managed to escape the club with minor injuries.
Sadly, Carwin lost his friend, Jessica, and her sister.
"It was horrible not being able to help her. I yelled her name, but she didn't answer. It feels awful not being able to do anything," he continued.
It is believed that between 500-1,000 people were enjoying the concert at the time. Over 200 are confirmed to have died.
Owner of the club Antonio Espaillat has recently broken his silence in a statement issued on Instagram, writing: "There are no words to express the pain this event has caused. What happened has been devastating for everyone. We want you to know that we are with you and that we share your anguish."
He continued: "From the very beginning, we have been collaborating fully and transparently with the authorities. We remain in constant communication with the Emergency Operations Center (COE), while search and rescue efforts continue with emergency teams, volunteers, and staff from more than 22 institutions."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].
