GUATEMALA CITY—Guatemalan police say a mob beat, shot and stabbed to death five men and a woman they suspected of robbery in a remote mountain village.

A National Civil Police official says the villagers blocked police access to their community during the attack Friday in the northern province of Alta Verapaz.

The official said authorities were able to recover the bodies Saturday.

Lynch mobs are not uncommon in areas of Guatemala where police are scarce. Guatemala’s human rights agency says 66 attempted lynchings have taken place this year between January and May, leaving 25 people dead.

This is the first time since 2009 that a mob has killed a woman.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.