Three migrants have died after being hit by a train in southwest France while they were lying on the tracks.

A police spokesperson said they had been on the train tracks near Saint-Jean-de-Luz at around 5am local time when they were hit by a train travelling to Bordeaux.

Three died instantly, while a fourth migrant was seriously hurt.

It was not clear why they were lying on the tracks, the spokesperson said.

Two of them had Algerian nationality, while the nationality of the others is not known.

An investigation has been launched.

The mayor of nearby Ciboure, Eneko Aldana-Douat, told BFM TV that the area near the Spanish border is a passageway for immigrants.

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