LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) – Lawrence radio host Santiago Matias is worried about his 67-year-old sister Florinda Rojas, who he says was in the nightclub in the Dominican Republic when the roof collapsed overnight. Over 50 people were reported dead and over 160 were reported injured in the incident.
“I pray [that] she’s alive,” said Matias. “She lives in Punta Cana, almost every Monday they go there.”
The owner of Lawrence’s Terra Luna restaurant on Essex Street was also inside the club.
“We do know that he was there, and we have not heard from him,” said Ilialis Reyes, Director of Project Management and Development for the Mayor of Lawrence. “So it is a little concerning.”
Reyes says she’s been to the nightclub before and calls the tragedy unimaginable.
“Imagine you’re at a place where you’re going to have a good time,” said Reyes. “You’re with friends, you’re with family. You’re laughing, you’re drinking, you’re dancing. And then suddenly, you’re suffocating.”
City leaders are working with the state’s congressional delegation in Washington, helping residents with concerns about the tragedy.
“85% of the residents in Lawrence are from the Dominican Republic,” said Spokesperson for Lawrence Mayor Nestor Castillo. “We really know how bad the situation is.”
For now, residents in Lawrence, like Matias, hope and pray for the best.
“This is a hard time,” said Matias.
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