The young migrant was found dead on Monday (August 7) on a road between the towns of Briancon and Montgenevre, just a few kilometers from the border with Italy, reports the French newspaper La Provence.

It is thought the young man could have come originally from North Africa, adds the newspaper. The public prosecutor in the nearby town of Gap, Florent Crouhy, has opened an investigation into the potential causes of death.

Also read: Migration controls stepped up between France and Italy

The dead migrant was reportedly discovered face down on the path which is used by walkers and 4x4 vechicles as well as bicycles.

"We are talking about a clear path where you can walk, ride or drive down; this is not some kind of dangerous terrain or rocky slope," Crouhy told La Provence.

Investigators say that at a first glance, the victim appeared to be a North African between 20 and 25 years of age, and was wearing clothes that did not fit him properly. Authorities have also taken DNA samples at the site and will be analysing their findings to discover more.

Results of autopsy yet to come

"We are hoping to carry out an autopsy soon," explained Crouhy. "The research team in Briancon will be looking into the causes of death. Hypothermia, a heart attack -- we are keeping all hypotheses open. At this point, no one has actually reported him missing," added the prosecutor.

According to the French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP), the death of the migrant seemed to have occurred "fairly recently" to the time when the cyclist discovered the body. AFP also said that the body did not "bear any signs of struggle or violence."

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The paths from Italy via Briancon and Montgenevre are often used by migrants hoping to make it across the border into France, particularly in summer when the weather in the mountains is warmer and more clement generally than the snow and ice that can blanket these paths in winter.

Joint border patrol force

In 2022, the prefecture in France responsible for the Hautes-Alpes (High Alps) region said that they had discovered 3,041 people trying to cross the Italo-French border via the mountains. But according to local organizations who work with migrants, as many as 25,000 migrants have made their way using these routes since 2016, reported La Provence in February this year.

🎧 Listen to episodes from the French and Italian Alps in our Tales from the Border podcast here.

At the end of June, the French government announced that from July 1 2023, a joint Franco-Italian border force would be patrolling along the Alpine paths and areas.

According to a press release responding to this announcement from the organization Tous Migrants, which helps migrants find food and shelter once they have crossed the border, "the only effect of this patrol force is to make it even more dangerous for migrants trying to cross."

"In the last ten years, already 40 people have died or disappeared in attempting to do so," the NGO said.

With AFP