Two weeks after the roof of a popular nightclub collapsed and killed more than 200 people in the Dominican Republic, the venue\u2019s owner acknowledged that the ceiling was made of plaster tiles that frequently fell and said the venue never received a structural review from Dominican authorities. <\/p>\n
Espaillat said that this happened regularly throughout all the years that he has operated the venue \u2013 even on the very day of the collapse. <\/p>\n
More than 300 people were inside Jet Set nightclub in the capital of Santo Domingo when the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. on the morning of April 8 during a performance of merengue artist Rubby P\u00e9rez and his orchestra, authorities said. <\/p>\n
Espaillat\u2019s own sister was among those trapped under the rubble, he said. <\/p>\n
The disaster left at least 232 dead, including P\u00e9rez, and more than 180 injured, according to official figures. <\/p>\n
Espaillat stated that in the nightclub\u2019s 30 years of operation, the venue was \u201cnever\u201d subjected to a structural review by authorities during routine safety and health inspections, nor did he discuss the building\u2019s structural integrity with private engineers. <\/p>\n
The structure only received checks from firefighters and the departments of Labor and Health, he said. <\/p>\n
He said that he did not know the exact weight of the air conditioners located on the roof or if they affected the structure of the building. <\/p>\n
Espaillat asserted that he had never received any formal warnings about the risks posed by having a ceiling in disrepair and that he is \u201cthe first one who wants to know what happened.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cSince this happened, I have had no life,\u201d he said, \u201cI am completely devastated.\u201d <\/p>\n
Espaillat said he was informed about the collapse by his sister Maribel, who called him while trapped under the rubble. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe said: \u2018Antonio, something incredible has happened\u2026 we heard an explosion, and the entire roof has collapsed,\u2019\u201d Espaillat told Telesistema. <\/p>\n
Maribel later told local newspaper Diario Libre that her husband, Daniel Vera Pichardo, covered her with his body to protect her from the falling roof. The two survived the incident. <\/p>\n
Espaillat, who was in Las Vegas for a business conference, said he flew to Santo Domingo the next day. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea and couldn\u2019t believe it was something of this magnitude,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n