Heavy rains provoke mudslide that buries Bolivia village; at least 4 dead, 9 more missing

Farmers dig through the mud in search of survivors and recovery of bodies after a mudslide buried a small settlement in Chullpa Kasa, Bolivia, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014. Local officials in Bolivia say that heavy rains have caused a mudslide, killing at least four people. Another nine people are missing. Heavy rains have been falling across most of Bolivia since November and an estimated 46,800 families have been affected. (AP Photo) (The Associated Press)

Farmers walk through the debris of a massive mudslide in Chullpa Kasa, Bolivia, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014. Local officials in Bolivia say that heavy rains have caused a mudslide that's buried a small settlement, killing at least four people. Another nine people are missing. Heavy rains have been falling across most of Bolivia since November and an estimated 46,800 families have been affected. (AP Photo) (The Associated Press)

Heavy rains caused a mudslide that buried a small Bolivian settlement, killing at least four people, local officials said Sunday. Nine more people are listed as missing.

Jimena Alegre, an official for the Morochota municipality, told The Associated Press by telephone that the mudslide occurred Saturday night in the Quechua community of Chuypakasa and buried the homes of 15 families.

Rescue squads were digging through the site in hopes of finding more survivors. The first responders were from Cochabamba, which is about 220 kilometers (135 miles) east of the capital of La Paz.

Heavy rains have been falling across most of Bolivia since November and an estimated 46,800 families have been affected.