Around 60,000 migrants crossed into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco over the past 24 hours, while at least 34 people died during the dangerous journey, according to media reports.
Ceuta’s President Juan Jesús Vivas described the situation as “unsustainable”, saying the number of new arrivals was equivalent to nearly 70 per cent of the enclave’s population. Spain’s Interior Ministry, however, estimated the number of arrivals at around 50,000, the BBC reported.
The mass influx came days after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants intercepted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez termed the influx an “attack” on Spain’s territorial integrity and said all illegal migrants would be sent back to Morocco as soon as possible. Spain has deployed troops to reinforce security in Ceuta and Melilla, while more than 25,000 migrants have already returned to Morocco voluntarily, according to officials.
The BBC reported that thousands of migrants, including women, children and minors, swam into Ceuta after border controls appeared to collapse, raising fresh concerns over migration and border security in Europe.
