A migrant has died trying to cross the English Channel, it is understood.
The RNLI confirmed it had launched its all-weather lifeboat and a group of migrants were brought to Dover in a Border Force boat on Friday morning.
What appeared to be a blue forensics tent could be seen outside the Lifeboats station.
It is not known at this stage exactly how many migrants arrived on Friday.
In a statement, the RNLI said: “Dover RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was tasked by HM Coastguard at 8.15am today (Friday 18 April) to an incident in the Channel.”
The death comes after more than 700 migrants crossed the English Channel on Tuesday in the highest number of arrivals on a single day so far this year.
Home Office provisional figures suggest 705 people made the journey in 12 boats.
Last Saturday, 656 people made the crossing in 11 boats, which at the time was the highest daily number for the year.
Tuesday’s total of 705 is still some way below the highest ever number for a single day, which was 1,305 on September 3 2022.
The figures confirmed earlier this week brought the cumulative number of arrivals in 2025 to a provisional total of 8,888.
This is 42% higher than at the same point last year, when the total stood at 6,265, and 81% higher than at this stage in 2023, when the total was 4,899.
More arrivals have been recorded in January to April 2025 than in the equivalent four-month period in any year since data on Channel crossings began in 2018.
The figures come as the Government has vowed to crack down on people-smuggling across the Channel.
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