(CNN) The body of an Iraqi migrant, believed to have died while attempting to swim across the English Channel from France to Britain, has been found off the coast of Belgium.

The 47-year-old man was spotted by maritime police 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the coast of Zeebrugge, northern Belgium on Friday, the region's governor Carl Decaluwe told CNN.

His body was covered with a fishnet and he was wearing a makeshift lifejacket made with empty plastic bottles. The man also had a slipper on one foot, Decaluwe said.

Authorities used the migrant's fingerprints to confirm he had previously attempted to seek asylum in Germany , but was refused.

"We found documents from the German authorities with a photograph which allowed us to be almost certain of this man's identity," Yves Segaert, spokesperson for the Brugges Prosecutor's office, told CNN. Segaert confirmed that prosecutors believe the man was attempting to swim across to Britain.

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