Death Toll From Migrant Crisis in Spain's Ceuta Rises to 72

The death toll has risen to 72 amid a massive influx of tens of thousands of Moroccan migrants into Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa.

According to agencies such as AFP, Spanish authorities announced on August 2 (local time) that "the latest updated death toll is 72."

Most of the victims drowned while attempting to swim from Morocco toward Ceuta, while some lost their lives in a crush while trying to scale the breakwater barriers.

Spain's state-owned broadcaster RTVE reported that police authorities are scouring the waters near Ceuta to search for bodies that have not yet been recovered.

A local police official, speaking on the 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 to 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.

Ceuta, which borders Morocco in North Africa, was thrown into deep shock as an estimated 60,000 Moroccans flooded into the territory all at once through August 1, stunning Spanish authorities and Europe.

While the Spanish Interior Ministry stated that most of these individuals subsequently returned to Morocco voluntarily, the fallout shows no signs of easily subsiding, with EU member states strongly criticizing the Spanish government's handling of the crisis.

Spanish authorities have deployed 3,000 police and military personnel to Ceuta to search for the intruding Moroccan migrants and maintain public order, but reports indicate that hundreds of migrants still remain on the beaches and roads near the border.

A local correspondent for Russia's RIA Novosti reported that these migrants are hiding in various locations such as under bridges, on rooftops, on beaches, in parks, and in drainage pipes to evade authorities, adding that security forces are struggling with the search because they have scattered across the city in small groups.

As the situation has entered a somewhat stabilizing phase with the majority of the gathered migrants returning to Morocco, Ceuta is reportedly quickly returning to normalcy, with shops reopening and its 84,000 residents and tourists visiting restaurants and cafes once again.

The coast of Ceuta is also maintaining a relatively calm atmosphere, and work is reportedly underway in the waters off Ceuta to install buoyant barriers to create a maritime blockade.

The Spanish government previously announced plans to install a 500-meter-long barrier along the maritime border between Ceuta and Morocco to prevent similar incidents.

The crisis shows signs of reigniting Europe's immigration debate, which had been dormant for a while.

Mohamad 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," expressing the perception that the Spanish government bears responsibility for this situation.

Many of the Moroccans who entered Ceuta claimed that the border was practically in an open state and that Spanish authorities took no significant action while watching thousands cross the border.

Santiago Abascal, leader of the anti-immigration Spanish far-right party VOX, visited Ceuta on the same day, labeling the massive influx of migrants an "invasion" and fiercely criticizing the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, which has traditionally pursued inclusive immigration policies.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.