French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the death of a man during riots in Marseille.

The 27-year-old was hit by a “flash-ball” projectile at the time of the riots in the city on Saturday, the Marseille prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

The riots followed the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre last week.

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Prosecutors said the cause of death of the man in Marseille was a cardiac arrest, likely caused by a violent shock to the chest from a rubber bullet – the type used by riot police.

However, they did not specify who fired or owned the “flash-ball” gun – which is designed to be non-lethal.

Prosecutors said it was not possible to determine where the man was or whether he had taken part in the riots when he was shot.

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The man died overnight on 1 July to 2 July – when some 45,000 police were on the streets with specialised elite units, armoured vehicles and helicopters brought in to reinforce France’s three largest cities, Paris, Lyon and Marseille.

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In Marseille, police fired tear gas and fought street battles with youths around the city centre late into the night.

Some 2,400 people have been arrested since clashes began last Tuesday.

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