Up to 124 dead and 155 hospitalized following the roof collapse of the famous Dominican club Jet Set, according to the latest report from the Emergency Operations Centre.

At the time of the incident, which occured at about 12:44am on Tuesday night, almost 300 people were attending a concert by merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, who were headlining one of the club’s long-running “Lunes Bailable (Dance Monday)”.

His manager, Enrique Paulino, confirmed to AFP the death of Pérez and his band’s saxophonist, Luis Solís. Major League Baseball has paid tribute to former players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco – the latter being credited for saving a friend from the collapse of the roof.

Rescue officers continue searching through the rubble. Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Centre, stated the following on Tuesday: "We continue clearing debris and searching for people. We are going to search tirelessly for people."

Operating for more than 50 years, there’s still no explanation for what caused the roof to collapse, but the Jet Set club said in a statement that “We are collaborating fully and transparently with the competent authorities to help the victims and clarify what happened.”

Pérez focused on his music career after being hit by a car at the age of 15, leaving him with a serious leg injury and two years of rehabilitation that prevented him from pursuing his dream of being a baseball player – his brother, Neifi Pérez, achieved so instead.

The merengue trailblazer reached international recognition with his work alongside Wilfrido Vargas’ orchestra – who has dedicated a message to his long-time friend – as lead vocalist from 1982 to 1987, recording albums such as 1983’s El Funcionario, and hits in the likes of “El Africano”, “El Hombre Divertido”, and “Volveré”. His solo career was prolific as well, releasing his critically acclaimed debut solo LP, Buscando Tus Besos.

Nicknamed “La voz más alta del merengue (the highest voice of merengue)”, he was recognized in 2010 by the Committee of Latin American Political Parties in the United States (COPOLA USA) for his help to the victims of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti in January of the same year.