Family of Dominican Republic nightclub collapse victim press charges

The parents and wife of one of the people who died when the roof of a nightclub collapsed in the Dominican Republic last week have become the first to press charges against the club's owners.

Police lieutenant Virgilio Rafael Cruz Aponte was one of the 231 people killed when the roof of the Jet Set music venue collapsed during a merengue music concert.

A lawyer for the Cruz Aponte family said they had brought manslaughter charges against the owner and managers of the Jet Set club. Other families have said that they also plan to file lawsuits.

Jet Set's owner, Antonio Espaillat, has said in a video message that he is fully co-operating with the investigation into the causes of the collapse.

That investigation is expected to take several months, officials said.

A lawyer representing Mr Cruz Aponte's family said they had also accused the local government of neglecting its duty to ensure the venue complied with all necessary safety guidelines.

On Monday, the interior ministry said that the number of dead had risen to 231 after five more people died of the injuries they had sustained.

Interior Minister Faride Raful said 189 people had been pulled alive from the rubble.

Hundreds were inside the building on Monday evening to attend one of the club's regular dance music evenings, which on this particular occasion starred popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez.

Pérez and one of the saxophonists in his band, both of whom were on stage at the time of the collapse, died in the incident.

Pérez's daughter Zulinka, who was a backing singer in her father's band, managed to get out of the rubble alive.

According to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences, two French citizens, a Haitian, and an Italian national were among those killed.

The US State Department previously said that "several" US citizens had died.

The impact of the tragedy has been felt beyond the Dominican Republic, in places with large Dominican communities such as New York City.

New York Mayor Eric Adams travelled to Santo Domingo on Sunday and visited the site of the disaster.

"They are not merely my residents, I've considered them my family," he said of the Dominican residents of New York.

"And what do family members do during times of mourning? They mourn with you," he added.