A huge crowd of migrants poured into the Spanish territory of Ceuta overnight, after breaching the country’s border with Morocco. At least 41 died in the process.
The Associated Press reported that the Ceuta government put the number of immigrants who have entered the city from Morocco in the past 24 hours at 60,000.
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Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the northern coast of Africa. It shares its only land border with Morocco and, together with Melilla, another Spanish city, forms the European Union’s only land border with Africa.
This incident occurred a day after Ceuta’s government said between 1,500 and 2,000 people entered in the last 10 days.
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Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has described the incident as an attack on Spain’s “territorial integrity” while vowing to ensure the safety of Ceuta residents.
In a post on X, he said, “What has happened is an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity and deserves our most resounding and energetic condemnation.”
He stated that his government was intensifying the presence of the “Security Forces and Corps in the city,” and that it would expedite the “repatriation files of the migrants who arrived irregularly.”
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“We will deploy a physical containment barrier in the sea to facilitate repatriation at the border, in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling,” he said.
Authorities disclosed on Friday that some of the migrants died in the stampede while trying to breach the frontier, crossing the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach.
Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, told the Associated Press that some of the 18 who died also drowned.
Spanish broadcaster RTVE shared images of burned cars on the Moroccan side of the border after reported clashes.
NBC also reported that video footage that surfaced showed several Moroccans walking around the breakwaters onto local roads. Most of them appeared to be young men, but the crowd also included families with women and small children.
The deadly attempt to enter Ceuta is the latest in a series of dangerous crossings into Europe that have been recorded.
Ceuta authorities described the situation as a “serious humanitarian crisis”.
The mass migration also caused the regional president, Jesus Vivas, to declare an “absolute humanitarian and social emergency” on Thursday and call on Madrid to send troops to reassert control of the border.
However, Spain’s Interior Ministry rejected calls to declare a national emergency, stating that such a measure does not apply to migration crises, but it promised additional resources.
Meanwhile, the mass arrival by sea and land is threatening to trigger a political crisis for Pedro Sánchez, a left-wing, pro-immigration leader.
European leaders have called for Spain’s temporary suspension from the bloc’s Schengen free-travel zone because of fears of a fresh migration crisis, leading to a diplomatic row between Rome and Madrid.
France said it was increasing checks on its border with Spain.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, threatened to demand Spain’s suspension from the 29-member Schengen zone, which stretches from Portugal to Poland.
Ms Meloni warned of a threat to European security.
“The images coming from Ceuta are striking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal migration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe’s borders,” she said.
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