Pedro Martinez says he has family members unaccounted for in Dominican nightclub roof collapse

Dominican-born Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez said Wednesday he has family members unaccounted for who were inside the Santo Domingo nightclub when its roof collapsed.

The 53-year-old Martinez was born in Manoguayabo, about 10 miles west of the Dominican Republic's capital city. At least 124 people were killed and hundreds more injured when the roof collapsed early Tuesday.

“We are all affected,” he said. “I still have family members who are still in the rubbles and we don’t know what happened to them. But we just want to be strong, like we have always been. We’re a country that prays a lot and remains united all the time, so I just hope everybody has the same courage.”

Authorities confirmed former major league pitcher Octavio Dotel and former major league utility player Tony Blanco were among the dead. Also killed was Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the Monte Cristi province in the country and sister of seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz.

Dozens of people clad in black and white streamed into a funeral home Wednesday to pay their respects to Dotel.

“This has been devastating for our country,” former sports minister Danilo Díaz told TV station CDN. “He was always positive, a collaborator, a friend.”

Hall of Fame inductee David Ortiz, formerly of the Boston Red Sox, told reporters that the number of people who attended Dotel’s wake spoke volumes.

“He was a person whom everyone loved. It’s very hard, very hard, truly,” said Ortiz, who recalled how he spoke with Dotel almost every day. “He was very funny. Octavio was a guy who was a fighter.”

The Jet Set club was packed with musicians, professional athletes and government officials when dust began falling from the ceiling and into people’s drinks early Tuesday. Minutes later, the entire roof collapsed. Concrete slabs killed some instantly and trapped dozens of others on a dancefloor where hundreds had been dancing to a lively merengue concert.

“It is with a heavy heart that it is my turn to actually send condolences to all our family members and the people here in the United States who have family over there,” Martinez said. “We’re all sad."

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