AFP photographer wins top photojournalism award

Arias, who is from Mexico, scooped the Visa d'Or for News, the most prestigious award handed out at the "Visa Pour L'Image" festival in Perpignan, southwestern France.

Arias held off strong competition from photographers from The New York Times, Reuters and The Washington Post.

It is the third time in the last five years that an AFP photographer has won the award.

"I am very moved, very honoured, to be rewarded by the most prestigious photojournalism festival in the world," Arias said after the awards ceremony.

"The most important thing is to give visibility to this problem of migrants, which is universal," he added.