Deadly D.R. roof collapse nightclub owner says years went by without a structural inspection
Antonio Espaillat, the owner of the Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic that had its roof collapse, killing 232 people, spoke out in an exclusive interview on "El Dia," a program on Telesistema Dominicano with host Edith Febles.
The interview comes as the sister of a woman killed in the incident says he should have done more to prevent the tragedy.
Jet Set club owner says AC units on roof routinely leaked
In the interview, Espaillat said his family has operated the building for about 30 years. Since then, he says no engineer, architect or state authority has ever conducted a structural review there, but he says firefighters and city officials did inspect for basic safety and licensing issues.
The club owner says it is not commonplace for businesses in the area to undergo structural inspections.
"If this is could have been avoided, I would have done just that to avoid it because my sister was there. My mom was always there," Espaillat said in Spanish.
Espaillat says there were six air conditioning units on the roof and the club had hired a company to take care of them. He says for decades, air conditioning units routinely leaked onto the club's plaster ceiling panels, sometimes causing them to fall, so Jet Set employees would replace the damaged sections, which he says an employee had done the night of the collapse.
It's not clear if that had anything to do with what happened, and Espaillat says he's cooperating as authorities investigate the cause.
CBS News New York has attempted to reach officials in the Dominican Republic about inspection regulations and is still waiting to hear back.
"My sister went into that club feeling safe"
Luz Contreras, from Passaic, New Jersey, lost her sister, Jennifer Contreras, in the collapse.
"She was my best friend," Contreras said.
She reacted to Espaillat's interview Wednesday.
"What do you mean the employees were in charge of changing pieces of the ceiling, or fixing the ceiling? That makes no sense. What? So you guys are not gonna send inspectors?" Contreras said.
The Contreras family says Espaillat should have had the structure inspected even if it wasn't common practice.
"He should've took that step because if you're inviting the public into a space, you want the public to be safe. My sister went into that club feeling safe, that she was just going to go see a concert like any other person will," Contreras said.
The Contreras family is speaking with lawyers and looking into what legal action they can take as they finalize arrangements for Jennifer's burial.
