SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Seven people were killed Monday in separate events in El Salvador that authorities attributed to heavy rains that have persisted since the weekend.

In Tacuba, near the country’s border with Guatemala, five people died after they were buried in landslides triggered by heavy rains. Juan Carlos Bidegaín, chief of the country’s civil defense, said two of the victims were minors.

Two others were killed Monday when they lost control of their vehicle in western El Salvador.

That followed the deaths of one person in a landslide on Saturday and another on Sunday when a tree fell on his vehicle.

Low pressure areas on Guatemala’s Pacific coast and in the Gulf of Mexico are fueling heavy rains in the region.

El Salvador's government declared an emergency Sunday and opened some 100 shelters across the country as the risk of flooding increased. Schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of forecast rains.

In Guatemala, authorities closed schools until Thursday due to the heavy rain that started over the weekend.

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