section_path: Emergency response
section_name: Emergency response
paragraph_text: Emergency response
  
  An extensive search and rescue mission was initiated, with about 400 responders deployed to the disaster site. First responders worked continuously to locate survivors amidst the structural debris. Rubby Pérez, who had been performing when the disaster occurred, reportedly began singing to help rescuers pinpoint his location within the rubble. According to Pérez's daughter Zulinka, who escaped from the collapse, the performer sustained injuries but remained in stable condition after he was extracted from the collapsed structure. However, he was later reported dead.
  
  From 3 p.m. on the day of the collapse onwards, no additional survivors were recovered from the disaster site. Twenty-two state agencies conducted rescue operations at the site, which included three cranes and several search dogs. During rescue operations, crowds assembled outside to pray for the victims and to sing Christian songs to help each other cope with the tragedy. A crowd gathered in front of the National Institute of Forensic Pathology, which projected images of the collapse victims to facilitate identification by loved ones. After 8 p.m., updates were suspended until the next day, after requests were made by the victims' relatives. Several people who were trapped cried out for help which assisted in their rescue. Others phoned their families leading to them being found.
  
  Emergency services documented at least 138 ambulance transfers, though the actual number of injured individuals exceeded 150 according to national director of emergency management operations Juan Manuel Méndez. The discrepancy was attributed to multiple casualties being sometimes transported in a single ambulance. At least 155 trips were made to nearby hospitals. By 9 April, the Dominican government announced a shift from search and rescue to recovering bodies. Officials with the Dominican Republic Emergency Operations Center stated on 12 April that 189 were rescued from the rubble alive and 15 remained hospitalized.
  
  Abinader visited the disaster site on the morning of 8 April to assess the situation and affirm the government's commitment to the rescue efforts. He emphasized that "all government resources" were being utilized in the ongoing operation. Rescue crews from Israel, Puerto Rico and Mexico arrived in Santo Domingo on 9 April to assist in rescue efforts. Mayor of Santo Domingo Carolina Mejía activated the municipal disaster response committee, and expressed condolences to families awaiting news about their loved ones. The municipal government coordinated closely with national emergency services to manage the crisis. The management of the Jet Set nightclub pledged their full cooperation with authorities in the investigation and in providing assistance to victims and their families. Mejia's office also provided 170 coffins to six funeral homes handling the remains of the victims. All of the casualites were identified by 12 April.