A two-storey house in central China has collapsed while being lifted off its foundation, killing four people and burying at least a dozen others, officials say.

Dozens of people were helping to move the house, which sat on low-lying ground in Hedao village, when it collapsed. In addition to the four dead, others were buried.

Firefighters, police and emergency crews retrieved the bodies and all the injured from the rubble by late afternoon. An official at the scene said at least a dozen were injured, some seriously.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency said at the time of the accident, a 37-person construction crew, mostly comprised of women, was working at the site in the village, in central Henan province about 650 kilometres (400 miles) south of Beijing.

It was not known whether the house was being moved to a different location or just being placed on a more elevated foundation.

The county government said the homeowner had hired a construction company from a neighbouring county without proper experience for the job.

After the accident, police detained the chief labour contractor as part of their investigation.