Another person is believed to have died attempting to reach the UK across the English Channel, government sources have said.

The French authorities told UK officials on Wednesday that the latest suspected death happened after a small boat capsized near Dunkirk. Several other people were rescued.

The latest suspected tragedy emerged after 500 more migrants crossed the Channel during the day, taking the total so far this year to over 20,000 – more than double 2020’s 8,420 total.

A man was feared to have drowned off the coast of Essex last week after trying to cross the Channel in a small boat. Two other people, believed to be from Somalia, were rescued after a coordinated search and rescue mission near the port of Harwich.

On Wednesday, it also emerged that a passenger ferry rescued 13 people from a sinking dinghy after stopping on its usual route from Dover to Calais.

The Isle of Inishmore launched a rescue craft whose crew threw a rope to the small boat, which had run out of fuel and was being steered by a man with a paddle. The small boat’s passengers were returned to France.

Witnesses have described another steady stream of arrivals for the second day in a row amid relatively calm and sunny conditions at sea.

In the port of Dover, dozens of recent arrivals were brought to shore by RNLI lifeboats, reports claimed.

A young child holding a cuddly toy and wearing just one wellington boot was among the large numbers of people seen being brought ashore.

The Home Office has not yet confirmed Wednesday’s numbers after the 456 who reached the UK on Tuesday.

In 2019, the home secretary, Priti Patel, promised to make migrant crossings an “infrequent phenomenon” by spring 2020 and then pledged in August last year to “make this route unviable”. During this time, the government has agreed to pay France £54m to increase security on its northern coast.

Campaigners and aid charities have repeatedly called on ministers to overhaul the asylum system in light of the soaring numbers.

Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, said: “We need to remember that these dangerous crossings are taking place because the government has provided no safe alternative for people to exercise their right to seek asylum here.

“If Priti Patel is truly concerned with tackling criminal gangs and their exploitation of people, she needs to set up safe asylum routes so people no longer need to depend on smugglers.”

The Times has reported that the first instalments of the £54m have been paid.