PARIS (AFP) - French police were left baffled on Wednesday following the discovery of a charred corpse hanging from a railway cable above tracks in Paris.

Detectives were at a loss to explain how the unidentifiable corpse could have got to where it was found overnight as there was no bridge anywhere near the spot.

"It's extremely puzzling," said a police source, refusing to speculate on the possibility the dead man may have been the victim of a mafia-style killing.