France confirms death of national in Algeria

NICE, France

France on Friday confirmed the death of one of its nationals off Algeria.

In a written statement to Anadolu, the French Foreign Ministry also confirmed that another French national was arrested in that country.

France is "in contact with Moroccan and Algerian authorities, and the prosecutor's office was commissioned to shed light on the circumstances of the tragedy" that occurred at the maritime border between the two North African nations, the ministry said.

"The French Foreign Ministry's crisis and support center, as well as our embassies in Morocco and Algeria, are also in close contact with the families of our nationals, who we fully support. We expressed our condolences," the statement added.

French vacationers were jet-skiing off the coast of Saidia town, in eastern Morocco, according to media reports.

They were shot by the coast guards after entering Algerian waters.

Local media outlets reported the death of two people and the arrest of a third vacationer.

The Algeria-Morocco border has been closed since 1994 due to tensions between them.

Algeria unilaterally broke off diplomatic ties with Morocco in August 2021.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara