Several people were killed during violent protests against coronavirus restrictions in the West African nation of Guinea, the country's Interior Ministry said.

The death toll was "high" after motorcycle taxi drivers clashed with security forces at a checkpoint in the western town of Friguiadi, Interior Minister Brima Conde said on national television late on Tuesday, without providing the exact number of people killed.

The checkpoint in Friguiadi had been set up to restrict movement in the town amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Other residents soon joined the riot that spread to multiple towns across Coyah prefecture and surrounding areas, the minister said.

Rioters set fire to several police and gendarmerie stations as well as to police vehicles in protest against the coronavirus measures, Conde said.

The poverty-stricken nation has reported almost 2,300 cases coronavirus cases and is considered one of the African countries worst-hit by the pandemic.