Guatemala City  - Four children and one woman died in mudslides caused by heavy rain in two slum neighbourhoods in the outskirts of Guatemala City, the authorities said Wednesday.

Late Tuesday, one woman and one of her children were killed when the mud buried their home. The woman's husband, an elderly woman and three children aged 3, 4 and
6 were rescued alive.

Earlier, three minors aged 2, 8 and 13 died in a separate but similar incident. A seven-year-old girl survived and was rescued from under tonnes of mud and debris.

Mudslides are frequent in the Central American country after persistent heavy rain. They threaten thousands of mostly poor families who have built precarious homes on unstable hillsides. (dpa)