One person has died and two others injured in a shooting in Corsica, near the entrance of the island's airport.

A man received a fatal gunshot wound to the head during the attack in a car park at Bastia airport on Tuesday morning.

Emergency workers told local media another person, aged 40, had several bullet wounds, and the third victim, a 35-year-old, suffered minor injuries.

According to a report by the newspaper La Depeche, the third man was not a target, but had been trying to get away from the scene.

Police are hunting for a getaway driver and their car, and said they would be investigating an "assassination by an organised gang and an attempted assassination by an organised gang".


They said the motive for the shootings was unclear.

Last Sunday, Corsica held its regional assembly elections, and nationalists triumphed.

A second round next Sunday is expected to cement their victory, helping them claim a mandate for greater local powers for Corsica.

The Mediterranean island used to be plagued by separatist violence but the main independence group declared a ceasefire in 2014.

Around a dozen assassinations of public figures have taken place on the island in the last two decades, and in 2013, it had the highest per capita murder rate in Europe.

Although known for its beaches and tourism, the island, which is home to around 300,000 people, has had a high murder rate over the years. In 2009, it recorded 28 murders and 17 attempted murders.

Between 2007 and February 2013, there were 105 assassinations, with only 10% being prosecuted.