Authorities in central China say 12 people are likely dead inside a hotel overrun by a landslide.

State media reported that rescuers have not detected signs of life from 10 people who were trapped underneath rocks and debris after the Friday night landslide in Hunan province.

A statement from the local government in Nanzhang county said the rescue work had been hampered by a 150-tonne rock that had fallen on the site. State media reported that rescuers were trying to pull rocks and debris off of the site before digging further.

Rescuers have pulled five survivors from the debris, two of whom died in a hospital.

Hilly and densely populated Hunan is frequently struck by landslides triggered by heavy rainfall.