At around 1:00 AM on Tuesday morning, Carwin was enjoying a reunion with his mother, Carmin, after three years apart. As they danced to the music of merengue singer Rubby Pérez, a small piece of material fell from the ceiling, prompting concern but not alarm. Carwin, a 32-year-old percussionist who relocated to the Dominican Republic eight years ago, was celebrating alongside friends in what was meant to be a joyous occasion.
Suddenly, disaster struck as a deafening crash resounded through the club, followed by panic. Carwin recalls, "What I have in my head are the screams, the loud sound of the ceiling falling in, my mom's screams asking me if I'm OK, me asking her if she's OK." Instinctively, he hugged his mother tightly as chaos engulfed the venue.
As the ceiling collapsed, at least 218 people lost their lives, including the popular saxophonist Rubby Pérez. Despite being struck by debris, both Carwin and his mother managed to escape through a door. However, in a desperate bid to find his friends Jessica and her sister, who remained inside, Carwin courageously re-entered the hazardous environment.
He called out for Jessica in vain and was faced with a scene of utter devastation. Noting the immense size of the fallen stones, he described feeling powerless to aid those trapped underneath. “I felt useless," he lamented, recalling how he oscillated between attempts to contact emergency services and desperately shouting his friend’s name.
Amidst the chaos, Carwin recounted the rush of emergency responders who arrived quickly to assist the injured. However, he expressed frustration at the lack of heavy machinery to help remove the debris during the critical moments that followed the collapse.
After about an hour and a half of anguish, he was forced to leave the scene to tend to his mother, who was in distress. Later that day, Jessica and her sister were tragically found lifeless amidst the rubble.
With deep sorrow, Carwin reflected on his inability to help his friend: "It was horrible not being able to help her. It feels awful not being able to do anything." As rescue efforts continue and the death toll rises, the community grapples with the aftermath of this heartbreaking tragedy.
