At least 18 people are dead and several injured in an attack in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The ambush took place on Friday at the UNESCO World Heritage site in the east of the country.

According to the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation, at least 13 park guards were killed along with four other civilians.

The Institute also reported three serious injuries among the guards and at least six among civilians.

Reports link the deadly attack to the armed group, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda as perpetrator of the murder.

A statement by managers of the park stated that no person or group has claimed responsibility.

It is one of the deadliest attacks on the 700 or so Virunga rangers. 176 of them have been killed in 20 years, in the Kivu region, destabilized by violence caused by armed groups.