Hopes of finding more survivors in the fatal roof collapse of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic began to fade on Wednesday as the authorities acknowledged that they had not found anyone alive in the rubble since Tuesday afternoon.
The roof at Jet Set, a popular dance club in Santo Domingo, caved in early Tuesday during a live merengue concert, killing at least 124 people, Juan Manuel Méndez, the director of the Dominican Emergency Operations Center, said early Wednesday.
The authorities used heavy machinery, dogs, drones and other special equipment to sift through the rubble to find survivors and recover bodies as families gathered outside for news of their loved ones. With each news update, the body count climbed.
“We have the same number of transfers to the hospital as 3 p.m. yesterday: 155,” Mr. Méndez said, stressing that the ambulances often carried more than one person.
It was unclear how many people were still missing. There has been no official announcement of how many people were inside the club at the time of the roof collapse.
Mr. Méndez had vowed to continue searching until the very last person is recovered. A large-scale operation was underway for a second day, with hundreds of rescue workers from various agencies at the nightclub site.
The director of the National Police, Ramón Guzmán Peralta, said on Wednesday that several walls of the facility had been strategically removed to allow better access to the disaster zone, facilitate debris removal and speed up the search.
Mr. Méndez confirmed the death of Rubby Pérez, the entertainer who was performing when the roof caved in at about 12:45 a.m. His body was recovered early Wednesday, the official said.
Grupo Popular, one of the most important banking companies in the Dominican Republic, announced that its president, Eduardo Grullón; his wife, Jhonna Rodríguez de Grullón; his sister, Alexandra Grullón, also a banker; and her husband, Eduardo Guarionex Estrella Cruz, the son of the country’s minister of public works, had all died in the disaster. An employee, Stephanie Avendaño Patricio, also died.
The governor of the province of Monte Cristi, Nelsy Cruz, also died. Ms. Cruz was initially trapped in the rubble and was able to call the nation’s president, Luis Abinader, from the wreckage.
Two former professional baseball players — Octavio Dotel, a former Yankees and Mets player, and Tony Blanco, who played for the Washington Nationals — were also killed.
The Dominican president declared three days of national mourning.
The disaster at Jet Set was a devastating blow in the Dominican Republic, where for decades people had gathered at the popular club, particularly on Monday nights. Entertainers, athletes and politicians frequented the club, and that roster of boldface-name guests was reflected in the death toll.
Videos circulating on social media and verified by The New York Times chronicled the disaster. Videos showed Mr. Pérez performing before a group of revelers when the camera began shaking and people started screaming as a large chandelier dropped from the ceiling.
Another video, filmed in the aftermath and also verified by The Times, captured the extensive destruction, showing that almost the entire roof had collapsed, with rubble covering the stage and dance floor as rescuers searched the wreckage.
The authorities said it was too early to determine the cause of the disaster.
