MEXICO CITY, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Six people died on Thursday in a landslide caused by heavy rain in San Pedro Ocotepec in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, local authorities said.

The bodies of one woman and four children were recovered, Heliodoro Diaz, coordinator of Oaxaca's civil protection agency, said on his Twitter account. He added that rescuers were working to locate the body of the sixth victim.

Heavy rain in the state caused a hill to weaken and break apart, causing the landslide that buried the home of the victims, and also affected roads in the town that is nestled in the mountains of northern Oaxaca, according to the authorities.

Civil protection brigade members, soldiers and police were sent to the area to help with rescue efforts and clear roads.

Located about 137 kilometers from Oaxaca, the capital of the state, San Pedro Ocotepec is a small rural town with about 2,100 inhabitants, mostly Mexican indigenous people.

In the past few days, Oaxaca has been hit with continuous rainfall from a cold front coming from the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico's National Meteorological Service said the low pressure system has the potential of becoming a hurricane along its coast.