SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AFP) — The family of one of the 231 people killed when a Dominican nightclub roof collapsed last week is seeking involuntary manslaughter charges against the establishment’s owners, a legal filing showed Tuesday.

“There is sufficient evidentiary merit to indict” the owners of the Jet Set nightclub, said a complaint filed with prosecutors by the widow and parents of victim Virgilio Cruz.

The family indicated it would also pursue a civil liability claim against Dominican authorities “both for unlawful acts committed by its agents and for omissions in fulfilling its legal duties.”

The roof of the Jet Set nightclub in the capital Santo Domingo came crashing down in the early hours of Tuesday last week on hundreds of people attending a concert by merengue star Rubby Perez, who also died in the Caribbean nation’s worst disaster in decades.

By Monday, authorities put the death toll at 231, with hundreds more injured.

More than 300 rescuers, aided by sniffer dogs, worked tirelessly for days to find survivors, and pulled 189 people alive from the mounds of twisted steel, zinc and brick that remain of the structure.

The Dominican government has announced a commission of national and international experts to investigate the calamity.

A preliminary list of victims includes an Italian, two French citizens and, according to the US State Department, “several” Americans.

Aerial images of the site show a scene resembling the aftermath of an earthquake.

A video posted on social media showed the venue, which could hold 1,700 guests, suddenly plunged into darkness while Perez was singing, followed by crashing sounds and screams.

Besides 69-year-old Perez, other high-profile victims included two retired Major League Baseball players and a provincial governor.