A total of nine people died on Saturday due to the collapse of a wall affected by the intense rains reported in the Dominican Republic.
Prosecutor Michael Orozco and his wife.
Photo: Networks
Puerto Rican prosecutor Michael Orozco Marín, his wife María Nereida Martínez Vásquez and her parents were four of the nine fatal victims who died on Saturday in the Dominican Republic, after a wall collapsed on several cars traveling along 27th Avenue. February in Santo Domingo.
The four people were identified by the National Institute of Forensic Sciences of the Dominican Republic as Awilda Vásquez Burgos, María Neredia Martínez Vásquez, Michael Orozco and Ramón Antonio Martínez Cesani, as reported by the Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, Omar Marrero.
The tragic event was confirmed to NotiCel on Sunday afternoon and subsequently, the Secretary of Justice, Domingo Emanuelli Hernández issued an official statement about the unfortunate accident that claimed the lives of the four Puerto Ricans and five other Dominican citizens.
All died as a result of the collapse that fell on several vehicles that were traveling through the infrastructure affected by the torrential rains that have hit the neighboring island.
The natural phenomenon has led to the evacuation of thousands of people and its effects have damaged dozens of homes and various infrastructures in different parts of the country.
The total number of fatalities were five women and nine men.
The wall collapsed on Saturday around 5:00 p.m.
According to reports, emergency teams deployed in the area completed the recovery work on the bodies after midnight on Sunday.
Orozco and his wife were both lawyers.
For his part, Emanuelli Hernández, expressed his regret for the death of Orozco Marín and his family.
“With great regret, we confirm that we have learned of the unfortunate news that one of our special prosecutors, Michael Orozco Marín, perished along with his wife, María Martínez Vázquez, and other members of his family in a tragic accident caused by copious rains that have fallen on the Dominican Republic,” said Emanuelli Hernández.
“Mr. Orozco Marín served as a special prosecutor in the Drunk Driver Prosecution Unit of the Bayamón Prosecutor’s Office of the Department of Justice. As secretary and on behalf of the staff of the Department of Justice, I express my deepest condolences to his family, colleagues and loved ones. I hope they receive a lot of strength and peace to cope with such a regrettable loss. Life is ephemeral. Let us treasure every moment,” he said.
Meanwhile, Omar Marrero Díaz later issued a press report where the identity of the victims was confirmed.
“The National Institute of Forensic Sciences of the Dominican Republic confirmed this afternoon to the Government of Puerto Rico the identity of four Puerto Rican American citizens among the eight people who perished yesterday Saturday in a landslide that occurred in the city of Santo Domingo. The four people were identified as Awilda Vásquez Burgos, María Neredia Martínez Vásquez, Michael Orozco and Ramón Antonio Martínez Cesani,” he indicated.
“The Department of State established contact with the relatives of the deceased to collaborate in the process of repatriation of the remains in collaboration with the Embassy of the United States of America. We join the grief that overwhelms the family and loved ones of the victims of this tragic incident,” concluded Marrero Díaz.
