A landslide in the Amazon region in Peru has killed at least 12 people and injured another 20, the authorities said Monday.

Local health authorities said two people are still unaccounted for and that national police and navy units had been sent to the area by helicopters to support the rescue operation.

The landslide struck around 4:20 a.m. local time (10:20 CET) in the river port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, 415 kilometers (258 miles) from the capital Lima, hitting two boats that were making their way to other towns in the area.

Three children are among the casualties.

More than half of Peru is covered by dense forest, including a wide expanse of the Amazon basin.

Rescuers race to find survivors amid difficult weather conditions

Navy captain Jonathan Novoa told AFP news agency that rescue efforts were complicated by the rapid flow of water and whirlpools in the river.

"We are in flood season," he said, adding that the conditions were difficult at the time of the landslide due to changing weather and fog.

The two boats sank as a result of the hit, with the number of people on board the boats yet to be ascertained.

One of the boats was traveling from a nearby Indigenous community and made a stopover in Iparia so passengers could disembark, with teachers and doctors on board, according to local reports.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar