Seventeen people have been killed in Indonesia's far-eastern Papua region in clashes that erupted between supporters of rival political candidates.

A Papua police spokesman says the fighting occurred Sunday in the region's Puncak district.

The spokesman says several people were injured in the brawl, which saw angry mobs setting fire to buildings and vehicles.

Media reports say fighting broke out when the local election commission rejected the registration of a candidate running for district chief.

Indonesia's Papua Province is located on the western half of the island of New Guinea. The region is home to a low-level separatist insurgency.