At least eight Colombian policemen were killed Friday in an attack by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerilla group near the border with Ecuador, authorities said.

The policemen died when trying to respond to a FARC attack near the international bridge in the town of San Miguel. Four other policemen were seriously wounded, said General Orlando Paez, security director of the Colombian national police.

Two guerilla members were killed in the attack too, Paez said.

Two patrol cars of the national police has gone missing since Friday morning after losing contact with the headquarters. It is not clear how many policemen were onboard.

So far this month some 20 policemen and troops have been killed in FARC attacks in different parts of the country.

FARC, Colombia's largest guerrilla group with an estimated 7,500 to 10,000 fighters, has been fighting the government since the 1960s.

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