SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (WBTV) – A former Atlanta Braves player died this week when the roof collapsed at a concert he was attending in the Dominican Republic.
Octavio Dotel, who played for the Braves for part of the 2007 MLB season, was inside the Jet Set nightclub when the roof came crashing down early Tuesday morning.
The 51-year-old was one of at least 113 people who died as a result of the collapse. At least 255 others were hurt, according to the latest report from the Associated Press. Merengue singer Rubby Perez — who was performing when the roof collapsed — was found dead in the rubble on Wednesday.
The emergency operations director told the AP that rescue crews would keep searching the rubble for survivors for “as long as they report that there is a missing person.”
Dotel was not the only athlete to have died in Tuesday’s collapse. Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, who plays in the Dominican’s Professional Baseball League, was also killed. Nelsy Cruz, the sister of former MLB star Nelson Cruz, lost her life as well.
In response to their deaths, MLB commissioner issued a statement on Wednesday that called the roof collapse a “tragedy.”
“Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo,” the statement read. “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. 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.”
Dotel played in just nine games with Atlanta, but struck out 12 batters in only 7.2 innings. A journeyman pitcher, he played for 13 teams during his 15-year MLB career, with the bulk of those seasons coming with the Houston Astros.
Despite him being in Atlanta for a brief time, the Braves addressed his passing on social media.
“We join the baseball community in mourning the passing of former Braves pitcher Octavio Dotel,” the team posted. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends, as well as everyone affected by the tragedy in the Dominican Republic.”
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader also released a statement regarding the collapse.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub,” he posted on social media. “We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred. All relief agencies have provided the necessary assistance and are working tirelessly in the rescue efforts. Our prayers are with the affected families.”
The AP said officials were working to identify the people killed, and as of Wednesday morning, had only identified 32.
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