In this photograph taken on April 25, 2015, a cloud of snow and debris triggered by an earthquake flies towards Everest Base Camp, moments ahead of flattening part of the camp in the Himalayas.(AFP PHOTO)

BAKU, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed in a sudden avalanche in southern Azerbaijan, local news agency News.Az reported Thursday.

The accident took place on Thursday after days of heavy snow hit the Lerik district in the country's southern region.

A private house owned by local resident Habulla Mustayev collapsed after being hit by an avalanche caused by the heavy snow, killing two women and three children from the same family, said Habil Malikov, head of the district's emergency situations commission.

Search and rescue operations were still underway.

Lerik, located between the Talysh Mountain and the Lankaran Lowland near the nation's border with Iran, has been prone to avalanches due to its mountainous terrain.