Four people have lost their lives while trying to reach the UK in small boats after one of the busiest days for Channel crossings this year.
Three women were found dead in a boat off the coast of Dunkirk on Thursday morning, the French coast guard said.
A man also died when his small boat ran into difficulty in a separate incident off the coast of Dannes.
The women’s boat was spotted around 6 a.m. They were pulled ashore after French emergency services, including firefighters, police and paramedics, launched a rescue operation.
Attempts to keep them alive failed and all three were pronounced dead. They were reported to be aged around 20, 30 and 50. Their nationalities are not yet known.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham insisted that the government’s plan to curb Channel crossings was working, although he acknowledged that more needed to be done.
Wednesday was one of the busiest days for crossings this year, with around 700 people crossing the Channel amid warm, sunny weather and calm sea conditions. On June 15, ship 710 made the crossing.
Last week a large boat carrying 165 people crossed the Channel, setting a new record for the number of arrivals on a single small boat.
More than 900 people crossed the Channel last week, as people smugglers take advantage of calm seas. Some 13,376 migrants have crossed this year, down from 24,389 at the same point last year.