A roof collapse at a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic has killed at least 218 people, authorities said late Wednesday, as emergency services moved on from the rescue phase to recovery of bodies.

The tragedy occurred at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo on Tuesday and families of victims have gathered outside for over two days, anxious for more information.

"In the coming hours there will be a transition from a search and rescue phase to the recovery of the bodies phase," presidential spokesperson Homero Figueroa said in a statement.

This was after having "exhausted all reasonable possibilities of finding more survivors," local newspaper the Dominican Republic Post reported. 

Rescue workers have not found any survivors since Tuesday afternoon.

More than 300 rescue workers, with sniffer dogs, have spent nearly two days combing through mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets. They were supported by firefighters from Puerto Rico and Israel.

Officials struggle to identify victims

Relatives of people still missing held up pictures of their loved ones, describing the clothes they were wearing when the disaster struck. 

They hoped it would help others identify their loved ones in case of disfigurement. The National Institute of Forensic Pathology officials read the names of 54 victims they had identified so far.

Among the worst disasters in Dominican history

Local media has initially said that 500 to 1,000 people were in the club when the disaster happened. At least 200 were injured, according to official estimates.

The Jet Set club on Tuesday said it was working with authorities probing the disaster — one of the worst in Dominican history.

Authorities believe it is too early to assess the reason for the roof's collapse. They are likely to begin the investigation phase after recovery is concluded.

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed his sympathy with the families affected by the event.

The prime minister of neighboring  Haiti, Alix Didier Fils-Aime, similarly offered his condolences on X. Pope Francis also sent condolences.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn