At 1:00 AM on Tuesday, Carwin, who had been dancing and celebrating with his mother Carmin and friends at a concert by merengue singer Rubby Pérez, noticed something fall from above but dismissed it as insignificant. However, the moment he heard the sounds of destruction—screams for help and the thunderous crash of the ceiling—he instinctively grabbed his mother to shield her.
Though both were struck on the head by falling debris, they managed to avoid serious injury and quickly found an exit. In a moment of desperation, Carwin went back into the nightclub searching for his friend Jessica and her sister, calling out for them among the chaos but to no avail. He felt helpless as he witnessed others being rescued from beneath the rubble.
As emergency services swarmed the area, Carwin spent approximately 90 minutes at the scene, frustrated by the slow response and lack of machinery to clear the debris. Despite the anguish of hearing his friend’s silence as he called her name, he was ultimately compelled to leave with his mother, who was feeling unwell. Tragically, later news confirmed that both Jessica and her sister were among the deceased.
Carwin's account paints a vivid picture of the horror experienced that night, encapsulated in his feelings of regret for not being able to do more for those who were trapped. The collapse resulted in at least 221 deaths, marking a devastating moment in Dominican history. As the community processes this tragedy, families mourn their losses in the aftermath of a night that began with promise and ended in heartbreak.
Though both were struck on the head by falling debris, they managed to avoid serious injury and quickly found an exit. In a moment of desperation, Carwin went back into the nightclub searching for his friend Jessica and her sister, calling out for them among the chaos but to no avail. He felt helpless as he witnessed others being rescued from beneath the rubble.
As emergency services swarmed the area, Carwin spent approximately 90 minutes at the scene, frustrated by the slow response and lack of machinery to clear the debris. Despite the anguish of hearing his friend’s silence as he called her name, he was ultimately compelled to leave with his mother, who was feeling unwell. Tragically, later news confirmed that both Jessica and her sister were among the deceased.
Carwin's account paints a vivid picture of the horror experienced that night, encapsulated in his feelings of regret for not being able to do more for those who were trapped. The collapse resulted in at least 221 deaths, marking a devastating moment in Dominican history. As the community processes this tragedy, families mourn their losses in the aftermath of a night that began with promise and ended in heartbreak.
