Four migrants died while attempting to cross the English Channel on Thursday, as people smugglers continued to operate dangerously overcrowded dinghies amid one of the busiest periods for crossings this year.

On Wednesday, a record high for 2024 was recorded, with 752 migrants reaching the UK across nine boats, each carrying an average of 84 people. This surpassed a previous peak of 710 crossings in a single day in June. The total number of migrants reaching the UK by sea has reached approximately 13,500 so far this year, marking a 42 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2023, when around 24,500 arrivals were recorded.

The fatalities on Thursday included three women who reportedly drowned after suffering heart attacks while attempting to board a so-called "taxi boat" on a beach near Dunkirk. Emergency responders, including firefighters, police, and paramedics, were on scene but attempts to resuscitate the women, believed to be around 20, 30, and 50 years old, were unsuccessful. A fourth migrant, a man, died when his dinghy capsized off the coast of Dannes as migrants tried to board.

Taxi boats—used by people smugglers to collect migrants from beaches—often depart from locations several miles away from pick-up points, a tactic reportedly employed to evade newly deployed elite seaborne police units.

The tragic incidents took place less than 24 hours after French police in the region acknowledged that they had been ordered not to prevent migrants from boarding vessels yards from the shore. A French officer, speaking during a visit by UK Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, confirmed that the instruction was to allow migrants to go while warning them about the dangers involved.

The UK Home Office confirmed the 752 crossings on Wednesday as the busiest day this year, though the record for most arrivals in a single day remains 1,305, set on September 3, 2022.

In recent days, over 1,600 migrants have crossed the Channel, facilitated in part by favorable weather conditions exploited by smuggling networks.

Responding to the latest deaths and continuing crossings, Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said that while the UK government's plans to reduce Channel traffic have shown signs of progress compared to last year, "there is much further to be done." Speaking after Thursday’s incident, Burnham remarked that the issue requires a stronger response going forward.