Carlos Bautista, manager of artists like Omega and Chimbala, went to Jet Set nightclub on Monday night to see his friend Rubby Pérez perform. He was standing near the stairs of the stage when the ceiling of the club collapsed. Bautista and his brother survived the tragedy. This is their story, in their own words.
“I am a personal friend of Rubby. I produced his last album and we had business together, so I went to see him on Monday night. I was standing near the stairs of the stage. I have no complaints. A piece of the ceiling fell in the corner of the club, it fell on a table and broke it, and then a hole appeared in the ceiling. People started recording and looking at it, and in seconds it collapsed completely. [At first] we thought it was a fight in the club, because people started running, so we thought it was a brawl. But five seconds later, the ceiling collapsed. I was in the front.”
“I didn’t have time to run. When I turned around to leave, the ceiling fell on me; on my head, back, arms, and knees. I was completely covered. My brother and I were hit by debris. But there was a couple next to us, and they opened up a space. They said to me, ‘Help me Carlos, get out.’ I have a lot of strength; I am 6 feet tall and weigh over 200 pounds. I managed to move a chair and he was able to get out. My brother was trapped, but I went to get help to get him out of the rubble.”
“When things like this happen, I don’t think one thinks anything. When I was under the rubble, I thought about my mom, my family, and I asked God to please let us come out alive, but that his will be done. I was completely calm, 100% calm. But it wasn’t me. It’s God who [determines]. I never thought about dying. I was trapped for an hour and a half. I didn’t lose consciousness because I was talking to my brother to keep his mind active, because he was about to have a panic attack. Neither of us lost consciousness. Then the people next to us opened up a path and I got out. I was barefoot; I left my shoes stuck there, and I was walking carefully in case there were any nails. I found my mom’s godson, a police officer, and a firefighter. My brother had his phone with him, and with the flashlight, they searched for him, removed the debris, and were able to get him out. My brother was there for three, four and a half hours. I think it was the time that killed Rubby.”
“When you’re in that condition, there are things that come and go and it’s not easy. Sometimes you lose your senses, you lose track of what’s happening. I thought it was an earthquake. When I got out and saw that everything was fine, I realized it wasn’t an earthquake.”
“What impacted me the most was seeing the desperate people waiting anxiously. It marked me a lot to see all the family members waiting anxiously for their loved ones to come out alive, when I already knew that they were gone. It was a very difficult and emotional experience.