Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse cause still unknown, owner tells local media

The owner of the Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic that was the scene of a fatal roof collapse earlier this month told local media on Wednesday that he had had no warning of a structural problem with the roof.

Nightclub owner Antonio Espaillat told TV program El Dia RD that he is awaiting official findings to determine the cause of the collapse, which killed at least 231 people and occurred when between 510 and 515 people were inside the club.

While authorities are conducting an official investigation, Espaillat said his legal team is evaluating whether they will initiate an independent investigation.

Espaillat, a well-known businessman and owner of 50 radio stations in the Dominican Republic, was at a conference in Las Vegas when he received a call from his sister, who was under the rubble but who survived. He says she told him about the sound of an explosion, before the roof collapsed.

Despite aesthetic renovations in 2000 and 2015, Espaillat says the club had been operating for 30 years without major structural changes. The roof held six air conditioning units, which had been there about 10 years, and three water tanks. The club had frequent waterproofing issues, which Espaillat said his staff routinely handled and believed were related only to condensation from the air conditioning units.

The building had never been subjected to a structural review by an engineer or architect, Espaillat says. There were also no structural inspections by the state. The only reviews were from firefighters and the city council for basic safety and licensing issues, he added.