Dead body found in popular Canal Saint-Martin: Paris police

Parisians dive into the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, the first day of opening for authorized bathing in the canal, while the capital is hit by hot weather. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

French authorities have found a body of a man in a Paris canal that has been wildly popular with locals and tourists as a swimming spot to cool off in the early summer heatwave, police said.

The body was found early Saturday in the Canal Saint-Martin in the north of the city centre whose banks have in recent weeks been thronged with bathers in the record temperatures.

The man was brought to the surface by members of the fire brigade, police said. His body was very swollen, suggesting he had been in the water for several days.

The dead man had no identity papers on him, said the police source, who asked not to be named. An investigation is now in progress into the cause of death.

Prosecutors said that the man appeared to be aged 25-35.

Swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin was authorized in mid-June by Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire in the face of the record heatwave that ended a week ago. Since then, swimming has remained permitted in a section of the Canal Saint-Martin -- but only on Sundays.

There have been concerns over the safety of swimming in a canal in the heart of urban Paris while authorities have sternly warned against jumping off its bridges.

It has also been notorious as a dumping ground for urban detritus including e-scooters, bikes and shopping trolleys.

The discovery of the body comes as Paris on Saturday launched a new season of permitted swimming in the River Seine, which connects with the Canal Saint-Martin, at three spots along its banks.

The swimming, a legacy of the 2024 Olympics, is now taking place for the second year and is free and supervised.