Two dead and others trapped as German hotel collapses

A hotel in Germany's picturesque Moselle wine valley collapsed overnight, killing two people, as rescuers worked urgently to extricate the two remaining guests who were trapped in the rubble.

One woman's body was recovered but emergency responders have not yet been able to reach the body of the second victim, a male, rescue operation chief Joerg Teusch told reporters.

Five people have been rescued, none with serious injuries, Teusch said, in a complex operation as the two-storey building was unstable after its upper floor caved in late on Tuesday.

The two people still stuck in the building, which was built in the 17th century and renovated in the 1980s, have serious injuries but are in touch with rescuers, according to police.

Among those rescued was a two-year-old child, who was not injured, and the child's parents, with whom rescuers were able to establish contact overnight.

"I have never been so happy to see a stranger's child," Teusch said, describing the tearful moment when his team carried the toddler from the damaged building.

The cause of the accident was not yet clear. Investigations would begin once the rescue operation was complete, state prosecutor Peter Fritzen said.