Egyptian border police shot dead an African migrant early on Friday as he tried to enter Israel illegally, a security official told AFP.

The unidentified man, trying to reach Israel from the Sinai peninsula, had failed to heed police warnings to stop, the official said.

Medics told AFP the man was shot four times, in the chest and stomach. His body was taken to nearby Rafah hospital.

The porous 250-kilometre (155-mile) border 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.