Rescuers raced to find survivors more than 24 hours after the roof of a nightclub collapsed in the Dominican Republic during a concert, killing nearly 100 people.

Renowned Dominican merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was on stage at the popular Jet Set nightclub when the roof collapsed shortly after midnight on Tuesday, was among those killed, according to his manager, Enrique Paulino.

About 370 rescue personnel combed mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets for survivors.

Dozens of ambulances ferried the injured to hospital, as several people gathered outside the venue desperately seeking news of their loved ones.

The club had a capacity of 700 people seated and about 1,000 people standing.

The death toll was initially reported at 15, but it kept rising throughout Tuesday. By early Wednesday, the death toll had reached 98, said Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Centre.

“As long as there is hope for life, all authorities will be working to recover or rescue these people,” he said earlier.

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