Longtime Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel and former MLB player Tony Blanco are among those who died following a roof collapse at a nightclub Tuesday in the capital of the Dominican Republic. At least 67 people died and dozens were injured when the roof collapsed at the Jet Set nightclub, authorities said. Rescue crews were still searching for potential survivors from the debris.
The Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League confirmed Dotel died after the roof of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo collapsed during a performance by merengue singer Rubby Pérez around 1 a.m. Tuesday. Pérez also died in the collapse, his representative confirmed to CBS News.
“The Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic (LIDOM), expresses its sorrow for the passing of former pitcher, Octavio Dotel, who was immortalized by the Dominican Sport Pavilion,” the league said in a social media post.
Dotel, 51, was a native of Santo Domingo and played for 13 MLB teams over 15 seasons from 1999 to 2013. He signed with the New York Mets and was traded to the Houston Astros in 2000, where he stayed for five seasons. He went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and ended his MLB career with the Detroit Tigers. He won a World Series championship with the Cardinals in 2011.
The Dominican Republic Ministry of Sports and Recreation confirmed Blanco’s death in a statement Tuesday.
“We deeply regret the passing of former Major League Baseball player Tony Blanco,” the group said in a social media post. “His legacy will live on in the history of national baseball. We share in their grief with their family, friends, and colleagues, and we offer our prayers for their eternal rest.”
Blanco, 44, was born in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. He was a first and third baseman and outfielder, playing minor league baseball in the United States for eight years. He made the MLB with the Washington Nationals in 2005. He last played in Japan for the Orix Buffaloes, a Nippon Professional Baseball team, in 2016.
Nelsy Cruz, sister of seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz and the governor of Montecristi, a northwestern province in the Dominican Republic, was also among those killed in the roof collapse, the Cruz family said in an Instagram post.
The Associated Press reports Nelsy Cruz had called President Abinader soon after the collapse saying she was trapped and that the roof had collapsed, first lady Raquel Abraje told reporters. Officials said she died later at the hospital.
MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred Jr. said in a statement that the MLB “is deeply saddened by the passings” of Dotel, Blanco and Cruz.
“We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family,” Manfred said. “The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today.”
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