Former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel has died after a nightclub roof collapse in his native Dominican Republic, according to multiple reports.
Dotel, 51, was reported alive after being pulled from the rubble at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo on Tuesday, April 8, but died on the way to the hospital, MLB insider Héctor Gómez reported via X.
Head of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), General Juan Manuel Méndez, confirmed Dotel’s death to Dominican newspaper Noticias Sin on Tuesday. ESPN Digital also verified the news.
Dotel’s death was also reported by Diario Libre, a leading news outlet in the Dominican Republic.
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Us Weekly reached out to the Octavio Dotel Foundation and the COE in an attempt to confirm the news.
Dotel played 15 seasons in the majors for 13 different teams, most recently two seasons with the Detroit Tigers from 2012 to 2013. Dotel officially announced his retirement from professional baseball in October 2014 at the age of 40.
After being signed as an amateur free agent with the New York Mets in 1993, Dotel would also complete stints with the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals.
Dotel is survived by his wife, Maissel, and their three children. The day before his death, Dotel posted a photo via Instagram of himself and two of his kids attending a church service together.
The roof collapse at Jet Set nightclub has reportedly taken the lives of at least 58 people, according to the Associated Press. More than 160 people have been reported injured.
“We are taking out the people we can rescue alive,” Méndez said in a video posted via Instagram on Tuesday. “You can hear people asking to be helped.”
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Méndez said some relatives had reported receiving phone calls from their loved ones who were still trapped inside.
According to The New York Times, Jet Set is one of the most popular nightclubs in the Dominican Republic and has been open for 45 years, especially well known for their live music shows on Monday nights.
Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, responded to the tragic news via X on Tuesday.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub,” Abinader wrote. “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.”
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