Five people have been found dead in a home in the US state of Pennsylvania in an apparent murder-suicide, according to law enforcement authorities.

On Saturday evening, officers found the bodies of five members of a family, both parents and three children, who had been shot at the home in Sinking Spring.

Police had a warrant to enter the house, but they did not disclose the reason why the warrant was issued.

No information on the names and the ages of the victims has been released so far.

“I cannot wrap my head around it,” said a woman, who lives in the community which she described as close-knit.

Another neighbor, described the family as friendly, saying, “I never would've suspected there were any issues.”

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), firearms are the cause of death for more than 33,000 people in the United States every year, a number that includes accidental discharge, murder, and suicides.

There are about 270 million to 300 million guns in the US, about one per person, data show.