Antonio Espaillat, owner of the Jet Set disco, whose roof collapsed on April 8 causing the death of 232 people in the Dominican Republiche granted his first interview with the media since the tragedy occurred and revealed that The roof of the establishment had problems since they acquired the premises 30 years ago.
The roof of the popular disco collapsed during the presentation of the recognized merenguero Rubby Pérez, who died under the rubble. Other personalities from the Dominican Republic as the governor of the province of Montecristi, Nelsy Cruz; or designer Martín Polanco.
Espaillat spoke with the journalist Edith Febles, in the television program a day, of the local telesystem channel, and revealed where the day of the tragedy was and how that early morning was found out of the event. He also indicated that The “always” place had filtration problems and that “never” was supervised by the authorities.
Mísca Jet Lag Photo:Facebook Karla Sánchez / Efe.
Jet Set owner reveals how he found out about the tragedy
In his first interview from the tragic event that shook the Dominican capital, Espaillat said that April 7 was at a television and radio fair which takes place annually in Las Vegas (United States).
At 10:30 pm, Las Vegas time (1:30 pm, Dominican Republic time), He received a call from his sister Maribel, who was also trapped under the debris of the disco, telling him that a tragedy had occurred.
“He called me under the rubble and said: ‘Antonio, something incredible has happened. We listen to an explosion and the whole ceiling has collapsed and we are all under here of debris,” he said.
Antonio Espaillat, owner of the Jet Set disco. Photo:social networks
Immediately, according to his story, he picked up his things from the hotel where he was and headed to the airport to find a last moment flight. After leaving the United States, he arrived at the Dominican Republic about 3 pm on Tuesday, April 8, although he was recommended not to go to the disaster site because the spirits were “warm.”
“At that time I had no idea (the magnitude of the tragedy).
Espaillat is president of RCC Media, the second media group in the country, which brings together several television channels and more than 50 radio stations.
This was the Jet Set disco after victims rescue work. Photo:AFP
The revelation on the roof of the Jet Set disco
when questioned about the possible causes of the tragedy, Espaillat revealed that the roof of the disco was covered with plasterboard, That is, structures that are installed under the main roof of a room.
The businessman surprised the indication that These ceiling collapsed since the disco was founded 30 years ago And even that the same day of the tragedy some of them were changed.
“We always dropped the plasterboard. That’s why the white powder.
Jet Set disco located in the Dominican Republic Photo:Facebook Jet Set
The businessman said that These structures were constantly fell due to roof leaks, to which other reasons were added. “Mostly water from the air (conditioned), that the air condensed, that if the drains are covered, normal things. We did not realize why the plasterboard does not bulging.”
Espaillat also recognized that the roof was never examined to verify the real situation of the structure or severity of the filtration. The authorities also did not carry out a structural inspection since, according to the entrepreneur, only hygiene reviews and emergency exits were carried out. The man also emphasized that changes were never made that could affect the weight of the ceiling and put the attendees at risk.
The owner of the disco was also questioned about the possibility that the ceiling was supporting too much weight (lights, sound, etc.), but indicated that Specialized companies were always hired for the installation of elements.
“Since 1994, when we entered that place, we had six units of air and to date is what we had, six air units. The recommendation was them, the amount of tons we should have and how to locate them,” he added.
Rubble removal work at the Jet Set disco, in the Dominican Republic. Photo:Francesco Spotorno / AFP
The businessman indicated that He is the first person interested in knowing what happened that morning and that will not evade the investigations of the authorities. He also reported that he has spoken with some of the families of the victims of the Jet Set and that the tragedy has affected him strongly.
“If it had been something that could be avoided, you may be sure that I would have tried to avoid it. I would never have allowed, but there was nothing, that is, there was no warning, nothing, we were all surprised,” he concluded.
Writing last news
