section_path: Reactions
section_name: Reactions
paragraph_text: Reactions
  
  In the hours after the disaster, the family of Nelsy Cruz announced that memorial services would be held at the Provincial Government of Montecristi, with funeral proceedings scheduled for the evening of 8 April. In a statement, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Robert Manfred, offered condolences for the deaths of Governor Cruz and former players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco. New York Mets player Juan Soto and former pitcher Pedro Martínez expressed their condolences to the victims' families. Dotel played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Oakland Athletics. Each team released social media statements mourning his death. Dotel also played for the Mets, the Kansas City Royals, the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago White Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before the start of a game against the Miami Marlins, the Mets held a tribute and moment of silence for Dotel.
  
  In Haina, the hometown of deceased performer Rubby Pérez and at least 28 other victims, members of the Jaineros Dorados choir lit masses of candles in tribute to the deceased. Minister of Culture Roberto Salcedo Jr. publicly mourned the loss of Governor Cruz, describing her death as "an irreparable loss for her community and for the entire country" and recognizing her contributions as "a committed public servant" and "a woman of steadfast leadership".
  
  Celebrities who expressed solidarity and remorse for the victims and their loved ones include rappers Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, Cardi B, and Don Omar; musicians Juan Luis Guerra, Alejandro Sanz, Wilfrido Vargas, and Francisca Valenzuela; singers Ricardo Montaner, Eddy Herrera, Natti Natasha, Thalía, Marc Anthony, and Olga Tañón; and actress Clarissa Molina.
  
  Several members of the United States Congress including María Elvira Salazar, Nydia Velázquez, and Adriano Espaillat, as well as New York State senator Luis R. Sepúlveda, offered condolences. Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, expressed his "most heartfelt message of condolence" to the "sister Dominican Republic and its people". Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, the minister of foreign affairs of Cuba, expressed on behalf of the Cuban government his condolences to the Dominican people and the government for the loss of human life. Russian president Vladimir Putin sent his "sincere condolences" and said that Russia "shares the sorrow of the Dominican people over this tragic incident".
  
  The Espaillat family, one of the wealthiest families in the Dominican Republic and the owners of the nightclub, released a statement expressing their regret.