Fifty-one people were rescued after a boat got into difficulty off the coast of Audresselles in northern France overnight on Monday, French authorities said.
A ferry reported seeing a body floating in the water off the coast of Calais on Tuesday, prompting a search which led to the discovery of another body.
The French coastguard said two more people were found dead in the water off the Calais coast on Wednesday.
All four bodies were brought ashore and an investigation has been launched.
It has yet to be confirmed whether the people who died were migrants.
According to the Home Office, 263 people made the journey across the Channel in four boats on Wednesday, according to the Home Office.
That takes the provisional total number for the year so far to 31,535.
While this is an increase of 18% on this time last yet (26,699), it is down 21% on 2022 (39,929), which was a record high.
