▲ Migrants attempt to enter Ceuta from Morocco.
The death toll has risen to 72 amid a massive influx of tens of thousands of Moroccan migrants attempting to cross into Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa.
According to AFP and Reuters, Spanish authorities stated on the 2nd, local time, that "the latest updated death toll is 72."
Most of the victims drowned while swimming from Morocco toward Ceuta, while some lost their lives in crush accidents while trying to scale breakwater barriers.
Spain's state broadcaster RTVE reported that police authorities are sweeping waters near Ceuta to search for bodies that have not yet been recovered.
A local police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Spanish daily El Pais, "There are still more bodies in the sea." So far, the bodies of 67 people who lost their lives while swimming from Morocco toward Ceuta have been recovered from the waters near Ceuta.
Authorities expect additional casualties and are reportedly preparing facilities capable of accommodating up to 200 bodies.
Moroccan authorities have also begun their own tally of Moroccan deaths.
Morocco's Ministry of the Interior announced on the 2nd that the death toll among those attempting to enter Ceuta has reached 11.
The ministry added that 10 of them drowned, and one died from a fall in a rocky area.
This differs significantly from the 72 deaths tallied by Spain around the same time.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), a non-governmental organization, estimated the death toll at nearly 130, with dozens of others missing.
Morocco added that it is consulting with Spanish authorities to accurately count the dead and confirm their identities.
Morocco's Interior Ministry shifted some of the blame onto Spain.
It claimed that a ruling issued by Spain's Supreme Court early last month and migrants' misinterpretation of its legal provisions were among the causes of this crisis.
The ruling at the time centered on temporarily banning the repatriation of migrants who enter via the sea.
The ministry also pointed to the abuse of social media, the spread of fake news, and human smuggling brokers as contributing factors.
Morocco's Interior Ministry added that authorities have launched an investigation into the situation.
Ceuta, which borders Morocco in North Africa, was thrown into deep shock as an estimated maximum of 60,000 Moroccans flooded into the territory all at once until the 1st.
Morocco estimated that 40,000 people entered Ceuta without authorization, while 1,135 entered Melilla, another Spanish border city.
Although Spain's Ministry of the Interior stated that most of them subsequently returned to Morocco voluntarily, the repercussions are not easily subsiding, with various EU nations strongly criticizing the Spanish government's response to the crisis.
The anti-immigration government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took a confrontational stance against Spain, deciding to suspend the Schengen Agreement—which guarantees free movement among EU countries—specifically regarding Spain for one month.
Spanish authorities deployed 3,000 military and police personnel to Ceuta to search for the intrusion-seeking Moroccan migrants and maintain public order, but reports indicate that hundreds of migrants still remain near border coastal areas and roads.
A local correspondent for Russia's RIA Novosti reported that these migrants are hiding in various locations such as under bridges, on building rooftops, beaches, parks, and drainage pipes to evade authorities' crackdowns, noting that law enforcement is facing difficulties with searches as they have scattered across the city in small groups.
As the situation has entered a somewhat stabilizing phase with the vast majority of the gathered migrants returning to Morocco, Ceuta is reportedly quickly regaining a sense of normalcy, with shops reopening and its 84,000 residents and tourists returning to restaurants and cafes.
Ceuta's coastline is also maintaining a relatively calm atmosphere, and work is reportedly underway to install floating barriers using buoys in Ceuta's waters.
The Spanish government previously stated that it would install a barrier on the maritime border between Ceuta and Morocco to prevent similar incidents.
Accordingly, a 500-meter-long floating barrier was deployed off the coast of Ceuta as of the 1st.
This incident shows signs of reigniting Europe's immigration debate, which had been dormant for a while.
Mohamed Abdelkader Driss, who works at a restaurant in downtown Ceuta, told AP, "If you leave the border open, naturally everyone is going to try to get in," reflecting the perception that the responsibility for this crisis lies with the Spanish government.
Many of the Moroccans who entered Ceuta claimed that the border was practically open and that Spanish authorities took no significant action while watching thousands of people cross the border.
Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain's anti-immigrant far-right party VOX, visited Ceuta on this day and labeled the massive influx of migrants an "invasion," fiercely criticizing the administration of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, which has traditionally pursued inclusive immigration policies.
Abascal asserted, "The borders of Ceuta and Melilla [another Spanish city bordering Morocco] are the walls protecting our homes and homeland," arguing that "a corrupt and traitorous government is failing to properly guard them."
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV also mentioned the Ceuta crisis during the Angelus prayer held at Vatican City on the same day.
The Pope stated, "I am watching with concern the serious situation in Ceuta," and added, "I pray to God that peace, stability, and a just solution can be found."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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