At least seven people have been killed in landslides in El Salvador following four days of heavy rains across the country, Civil Defence authorities said.

Two people died in Panchimalco about 18 kilometres south of the capital and a family of five perished in the municipality of Huizucar, also south of San Salvador, Civil Defence Director Luis Alonso Amaya said on Thursday.

"We have reached a time of the winter when the level of moisture saturation in the soil tends to generate this type of phenomena,” Amaya said.

Authorities declared an alert in 29 coastal municipalities and for all municipalities in the department of San Miguel in the east of the country. They told residents to heed calls to evacuate areas if told.

The Environment Ministry warned of a high likelihood of urban flooding, rivers overtopping their banks and the swamping of agricultural land.

Three children killed

In the Huizucar incident, three of those killed were children. The family’s home in the community of La Pedrera was left completely buried by mud.

On Thursday morning, only a brown muddy chute broke into the thick green jungle, leading directly to the family's home. Rescuers stepped unsteadily around twisted sheets of corrugated metal roofing where the house had been.

Marta Alicia Gomez Hernandez, a relative of the family that died, was overcome with emotion. “The house fell on top of them,” she said. “We ran down to see. This has been tough for us.”

In the other slide in Panchimalco, two people were rescued and taken to a hospital where they died.

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