AL-ARISH: Egyptian police shot dead a migrant on Wednesday as he tried to enter Israel illegally, a security official said.

The official did not identify the nationality of the dead man, the second migrant to have been killed by Egyptian police this month.

Security asked him to stop, and then fired warning shots. He died on his arrival at the hospital, with a bullet wound to the chest, the official said.

Egyptian police killed at least 28 sub-Saharan migrants near the border last year.

The porous 250-kilometre frontier has become a major transit route for migrants, asylum-seekers and drug smugglers. Israel has asked Egypt to clamp down on the traffic.

Egypt s policy of shooting migrants has generated harsh criticism from human rights groups. The migrants say they try to leave Egypt because of poverty and racism. -AFP