Four migrants have died trying to cross the English Channel in small boats, French authorities have said.
In one incident, three women suffered heart attacks after their boat launched off the coast of Dunkirk.
Separately a boat sank late on Wednesday off the coast of the seaside town of Hardelot, leading to the death of one man.
The women, reportedly aged around 20, 30 and 50, were brought ashore by the French emergency services but attempts to resuscitate them failed and all three were declared dead.
This week migrants were seen cramming onto small boats off the coast of northern France to take advantage of the good weather in the English Channel.
The favourable conditions are believed to have led to hundreds of asylum seekers making the crossing on Wednesday.
The total number of migrants who have crossed the Channel so far this year has reached 13,350, which is around 45 per cent lower than this time last year.
But while the number of migrants has been falling and represents a victory for the UK government, the average number per boat has been rising.
Last year, The National reported the average number of asylum seekers per boat per day sometimes reached 80, but that has risen significantly.
The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of migrants who arrive each day and the number of boats; however, it does not publish the number of migrants on each vessel.
In the first six months of 2025 the overall daily average per boat was 58, which has risen to 65 for the same period this year.
This has been attributed to the French authorities intercepting boats and disrupting the supply chain for the vessels’ components. That has forced smugglers to cram more migrants on to “mega dinghies” to maintain their profits.
The larger volumes have been blamed for deaths as more people cram on to the boats, increasing the risk of suffocation or drowning.