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"Unfortunately there are people who died from gunshot wounds, maybe around 20, inside the night club," FBI special agent Ron Harper told a media briefing.
He said around 42 injured were taken to three area hospitals.
The gunman has been identified as an citizen of Afghan descent, US television networks reported on Sunday.
Quoting law enforcement sources, CBS News named the shooter as Omar Mateen, who was born to Afghan parents in 1986 and lives in Port St Lucie, Florida.
The network reported that Mateen -- who died in a shootout with police after the hostage siege -- has no apparent criminal history and that authorities are investigating whether he had ties to Islamic extremism.
Police have yet to officially identify the gunman.
'Hostage situation'
"This did turn into a hostage situation," Orlando police chief John Mina said. "At approximately 0500 hours (0900 GMT) this morning, the decision was made to rescue hostages that were in there."
It was unclear whether all the victims were killed by the gunman or if some died in the ensuing shootout with police.
Police said earlier in a Twitter message that there were "multiple injuries". Local media reported that from seven to as many as 20 people had been shot at the Pulse nightclub, but had no further details.
The nightclub urged patrons to "get out" and "keep running" in a post on its Facebook page.
Several patrons had posted on social media that a gunman was holed up inside and holding hostages. One man who said he was inside the club posted that the shooting broke out around 2 a.m. and that he heard about 40 shots being fired.
Police said they had carried out a "controlled explosion" at the club hours after the shooting broke out, but did not say why that was done. They described the scene as a "fluid situation".
Video posted online showed a large number of police and emergency vehicles outside the nightclub. Bomb sniffing dogs were also on the scene, CNN reported.
The nightclub shooting occurred just a day after a man thought to be a deranged fan fatally shot Christina Grimmie, a rising singing star who gained fame on YouTube and as a contestant on "The Voice", while she was signing autographs after a concert in Orlando.
source: interaksyon.com
