The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the massacre was carried out at a farm by pro-regime militiamen armed with guns and knives after regular troops had shelled the area.
Reports and images of the incident spread on Twitter and other social networks but have been difficult to verify independently given the lack of media access to much of Syria.
Speaking on Thursday, Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the "brutal and sickening" massacre of civilians in Syria and called for "concerted action" from the international community.
"We have 100 deaths in the village of al-Qubair, among them 20 women and 20 children," said Mohammed Sermini, spokesman for the Syrian National Council, who accused the regime of being behind the incident.
Opposition activists said women and children were among the dead when al-Qubair came under heavy tank fire before militia moved in on the ground and shot and stabbed dozens of people to death.
The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), an activist network, counted 78 victims, 35 of whom were said to be from one family.
The Syrian state news agency quoted an official source in Hama describing the reports as "completely false", saying security forces had intervened at the request of residents after a "terrorist group committed ... a monstrous crime", killing nine women and children.
Syrian authorities have also denied responsibility for the Houla killings, blaming foreign-backed Islamist militants.
It follows the massacre of 108 civilians in Houla on 25 May, which Western governments blamed on Syrian government forces and militia.
It comes as Kofi Annan announces a new plan for peace in Syria to the UN Security Council on Thursday.
The core of Annan's proposal, according to reports, would be the establishment of a contact group that would bring together Russia, China, the United States, Britain, France and key regional players with influence on Syria's government and the opposition, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Iran.
By creating such a contact group, envoys said, Annan would also be trying to break the deadlock among the five permanent council members that has pitted veto powers Russia and China against the United States, Britain and France and prevented any meaningful UN action on the Syrian conflict, envoys said.
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