A small city lost in the tragedy of the Dominican cabinet

Half of the board of directors of the Elderly Club perished, as did the president of the Assad Club, the high school teacher and the owner of a truck transport company. Tony Blanco, a retired leading base player in the league who died in the disaster, was an original son.

This was how Rubby Pérez, the Merengue singer who attracted his concert more than 400 people – many of his hometown.

In the wake of the roof of a nightclub The collapse that killed hundreds of peopleThe Dominican Republic is full of sadness. This heart may be more clear in Haine, an industrial city outside the capital that lost more than twenty people in the tragedy, including community leaders and cultural heroes.

A severe municipality is famous for the noisy marine port and the legacy of the leading pollution that one day gave it the title “Dominican Cernobil” is now unwanted discrimination. When the roof of the flying disco group fell last Tuesday morning, killing 226 people, it dealt with the small city.

Twenty -five people were among those who died.

“God has a way to communicate with us, and sometimes it is difficult to understand,” said David Ortz, the former Red Sox player, known as Big Babi, said on Sunday. Mr. Ortiz used to live in Heine, and traveled there to help bury his death.

He joined the President, Louis Abenader, gathered dozens of residents in the advanced gym to say goodbye. They grabbed white roses and tried through tears to understand how one town could lose many people. Some wondered loudly about how they were able to laugh and sing again.

Show pictures of the victims on two large screens, while an evangelical priest and a Catholic priest presented the words.

The singer Joselito Trinidad has performed deportations from “searching for your kisses” and “I will come back”, who are from Mr. Perez’s songs. It sang on the high stadium that Mr. Perez, known as “the highest voice in Mernggie”, was famous for him.

“We are people who knew how to unite through thick and gentle, and this is not an exception,” he said before singing. “As the original Heinro, I raise my voice until we remember this sound that took wings and went to a better place.”

In the gym, many ovarian seats remained empty: people all over the city were busy attending funerals.

When the service ended, a woman ran after the entourage cried for the president and demanded accountability.

“Oh, my beautiful friend, no one is like her!” Kirisis Botista, whose friend, Juanna Vakuiz, died in the disaster. Mr. President, Justice! Let me see Louis Abenader and say: “Justice! “

Mr. Perez, 69, was a famous artist in Merengue and a member of Golden Haineros, a special social club for people over the age of 55 to collect and attend educational workshops. The 143 members of the club were fans, so 25 of them made a half -hour trip to Santo Domingo to see him performing the Jet group.

Just 12 made it out.

The organization’s vice -president died, as did the treasurer and events plan.

“The first thing I said when I heard about what happened is that I will resign,” the club president, Hector Renningon, said. “People told me, no, we have to find the power to keep this in honor of those who died.”

The elderly rented an area over a nightclub called the sugar house, where they play the domino and hold birthday parties, and they adhere to strict rules: there is no talk about politics, religion or sport.

On Sunday morning before service, the club was still decorated with balloons and birthday banners from the last celebration, but a large black tape on the front door gave a terrible thing that happened. The mood was dark between a handful of members, gathered before another funeral.

Now instead of organizing jewelry workshops, Mr. RINCón is looking for psychologists to help survivors. “This is like war,” he said. “When you return from the war, you are not the same.”

Mr. Rincón grew up with Mr. Pérez, and they sang in a choir together as teenagers.

“Heina was everything for him,” said Mr. Renkunon.

Try to share more friend memories. Tears were on the way, so he talked instead about the city’s industrial history.

The official name of Hina, which no one uses is Bagos de Heina, or the low -Hayain lands. Laten for about 158,000 people, which is about eight miles to the west of Santo Domingo.

The country’s only oil refining here, and its port moves more than a third of the sea goods in the country.

Mr. Renningon summoned its climax, when the sugar factory and other factories directed engineers, mechanics and workers in other skilled deals. These companies are now.

“This was a city for immigrants – most of them miners and agricultural workers,” said Jesus Ramirez, a member of Lyons, who lost three members. “It turns out that some of the best players and sports artists in the country.”

Al -Assad Club will be particularly absent from its president, Luis Emilio Gillein, who was also vice president of the Elderly Club. A former football player owns the cup company, and was known for the presence of every cultural and athletic event.

“We will continue the work he was doing in sports and culture,” said Margareta Tijida, who represents Heina in Congress and a member of the Assad Club. “This is collective pain. Everyone suffers from great pain.”

Hogla Enecia Pérez She contributed to the reports from Hina.