The first known lawsuit has been filed against the owners of a legendary nightclub whose roof collapsed and killed 231 people in the Dominican Republic.

The death toll at last week's nightclub roof collapse in the capital of the Dominican Republic rose to 231, the Minister of Interior and Police said on Monday, as families of victims began filing lawsuits against the nightclub's owners.

Dominican Republic authorities have ended their rescue operation and turned to recovery efforts following the collapse of a nightclub roof on Tuesday, which left more than 200 people dead.