French police have launched a murder investigation after a man in his twenties was found dead on a beach in northern France, with officers now hunting for a group of migrants believed to have been preparing to cross the Channel to the UK by small boat. The incident highlights the continuing violence and danger surrounding the small boats crossing trade, where rival gangs and desperate migrants sometimes clash on the French coast before attempted crossings.

Limited details have been released so far, though the victim's age has been given as in his twenties. Investigators are treating the death as a murder and are working to trace the group of migrants who were reportedly in the area and intending to travel to Britain, as French authorities continue to grapple with people-smuggling activity along the coastline.