Rescuers in China failed to find a woman in Hunan who fell into sinkhole that appeared in her bedroom.

Ms Chen Jiaoyang, 45, was presumed to have fallen into a 3sqm hole that had appeared in the bedroom of the house in the village of Shizuling in Lianyuan city, but after digging to a depth of 15m, the search for the woman was called off.

Conditions had become too dangerous and digging in the sodden ground led to the partial collapse of another house, a local report said.

The fire department also used life detection equipment but could not locate her.

Ms Chen's husband, Xia Sanwen, found his wife missing and a large hole in his bedroom on Saturday (June 24) morning.

He had heard a loud bang, but thought it was a tree falling due to the rain. There had been heavy rain in the village for two days.

Experts told Chinese media that the houses in the village were built on a network of caves and underground waterways.

The hole also swallowed a refrigerator and an electric fan, although the bed was intact.

The couple's 13-year-old daughter was unharmed.