Bogota  - A couple and their three children died Thursday in a mudslide in the town of Iquira, in the southwestern Colombian region of Huila, authorities said.

The avalanche of mud and rocks that buried the family's home was caused by heavy rain, which had affected the area for days.

Rescue teams initially said they had found the dead bodies of a woman and her three children, aged 18 months, 3 and 5 years. However, Disaster Prevention authorities later confirmed in Bogota that the father had also been found dead. (dpa)