Five children were killed Thursday when a landslide slammed into their cinderblock house at the bottom of a ravine outside Guatemala City.
The victims, all members of the same family, were between the ages of 6 and 15, fire department spokesman Mario Cruz told The Associated Press.
The parents were in another room and were protected from the force of the impact by an armoire. They survived with only slight injuries.
Theirs was the only house affected by the mudslide.
Cruz said heavy rains caused a small pond at the top of the ravine to overflow, prompting an avalanche of mud, rocks and trees in Cristo Rey Village, about 10 miles southeast of Guatemala City.
Landslides are common in Guatemala during the rainy season, which is between May and November.
Authorities estimate at least 300,000 people live in ravines or on mountainsides in and around Guatemala City and are in danger of landslides caused by heavy rains or earthquakes.