Baseball rocked as $68 million star dead after nightclub roof collapse horror
America has been rocked by the death of a world champion, who is among at least 44 people killed in the South American nightclub tragedy.
World Series champ Octavio Dotel is among the at least 44 people killed when a Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapsed Wednesday, according to local media reports.
Octavio Dotel, a longtime MLB relief pitcher who played for both the Mets and Yankees, has died after the roof at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed on him in a tragedy that killed at least 44 people and injured 160 others on Tuesday, The New York Post reports.
He was 51.
Initial reports stated Dotel was one of eight pulled alive from the Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, but he died while being transported to a hospital, according to MLB reporter Hector Gomez.
The head of the emergency operations centre, Gen. Juan Manuel Mendez, confirmed the details of Dotel’s death to Noticias SIN.
The cause of the roof collapse is unclear.
The nightclub was hosting an event at which popular merengue singer, Rubby Pérez, was performing when the tragic incident occurred.
Pérez was pulled alive from the rubble, according to local media.
“It happened so quickly. I managed to throw myself into a corner,” he said, adding he initially thought it was an earthquake.
His manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was spattered with blood, told reporters at the scene that the group’s saxophonist was among those crushed to death.
Meanwhile, Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi, was among the dead, authorities said.
Cruz is the sister of former major league slugger Nelson Cruz.
Dotel’s death has rocked Major League Baseball (MLB).
A former Mets prospect who made his MLB debut with the club in 1999, Dotel pitched for 13 different teams across 15 seasons and was part of the 2011 Cardinals team that won the World Series.
Traded by the Mets to the Astros after the ’99 season in the Mike Hampton deal, Dotel spent the next four-plus seasons in Houston before he was traded to the Athletics during the 2004 season.
The right-hander signed with the Yankees in 2006, pitching to a 10.80 ERA in 14 appearances.
He later pitched for the Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays and Tigers.
Dotel had a career 3.78 ERA with 109 saves and 1,143 strikeouts in 951 innings.
He was recently reported to have career earnings of more than $68 million across the stretch of his career.
Meanwhile, rescue crews are still sifting through the debris to find additional survivors, police said.
“We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble,” said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the city’s Center of Emergency Operations.
At one of the many hospitals where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading out the names of survivors as a crowd gathered and desperately screamed out the names of their loved ones.
According to Noticias Sin, 31 of the injured were taken to Dr. Dario Contreras Hospital, with 12 in critical condition.
President Luis Abinader said that all rescue agencies were “working tirelessly” to help those affected.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred,” he wrote on X.
Santo Domingo Mayor Carolina Mejía de Garrigó added: “Our city wakes up to a terrible tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. My deepest sympathy goes out to the families still waiting for news of their loved ones.”
In a statement Tuesday, the US embassy in Santo Domingo expressed condolences over the tragedy.
“We stand in solidarity with the families of the victims, the injured and all the Dominican people at this difficult time,” Charge d’Affaires Patricia Aguilera wrote on Facebook.
“We appreciate the tireless efforts of the rescue teams,” she said.
— This story originally appeared on The New York Post and has been republished with permission
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