The French military forces in Mali have shot at and killed at least one civilian and wounded two others, their command in the West African nation has confirmed to agencies.

According to a pronouncement from the French army, the shooting occurred after a bus in which the victims travelled did not slow down in a volatile area despite their visual warnings and warning shots.

This version of events, however, was disputed by bus company director Abdoulaye Haidara, who told AFP news agency that his driver had denied refusing to stop and did not hear any warning shots. 

The incident occurred about 50km (30 miles) from the city of Gao in the conflict-hit country's north.

The French army command said on Tuesday the troops fired warning shots in the ground but two bullets ricocheted and hit the windscreen, wounding three people, including one fatally.

"The seriously wounded person was evacuated by helicopter to the hospital of the [French] Barkhane force in Gao, but died of his injuries," it said.

"All steps have been taken to ascertain the exact sequence of events," it said, expressing its "sincere condolences to the family of the deceased."