Al-Arish, Egypt  - Egyptian police killed an unidentified African migrant Friday as he was attempting to enter Israel illegally, a security source said.

Police ordered the man to stop, and opened fire when he failed to do so, the source added.

The African, whose nationality was not immediately known because he had no identity papers on him, was shot in the chest and was dead by the time he reached Rafah hospital.

The African was accompanied by an Eritrean, who was arrested and held in al-Arish prison.

Egyptian police also arrested another 14 Ethiopian and Eritrean men who were also trying to cross through the Egyptian border into Israel early on Friday.

The death of the African man brings the number of migrants shot while trying to cross into Israel to 20 since the beginning of this year.

Most African migrants in Egypt seek asylum or work in Israel.

Last year, Egyptian police have arrested more than 480 illegal immigrants. The largest group was from Eritrea.

The Rafah border crossing is on the 250-kilometre Egyptian-Israeli frontier. (dpa)