Tens of Thousands of Migrants Swarm Border… Most Deaths Caused by Drowning

The death toll has risen to 72 as tens of thousands of Moroccan migrants crossed en masse into Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa.

Spanish authorities stated on the 2nd, local time, that the latest confirmed death toll stands at 72.

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

Spain's state-owned broadcaster RTVE reported that police authorities are sweeping the waters near Ceuta to search for drowned bodies that have yet to be 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 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 citizens who died.

Morocco's Ministry of the Interior announced on the 2nd that the number of people who died while attempting to enter Ceuta has reached 11.

Among them, 10 drowned and one died after falling from a rocky area, the Interior Ministry added.

This differs significantly from the 72 deaths tallied by Spain around the same time.

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), a civic group, estimated the death toll at nearly 130, with dozens more missing.

Morocco added that it is consulting with Spanish authorities to accurately count the dead and verify their identities.

Morocco's Interior Ministry shifted some of the blame onto Spain.

It claimed that a Supreme Court decision issued by Spain early last month, which migrants misinterpreted, was one of the causes of the crisis.

The ruling at the time focused on temporarily prohibiting the repatriation of migrants who entered by sea.

The Interior Ministry also pointed to the abuse of social media, the spread of fake news, and human smuggling brokers as contributing factors.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry added that authorities have launched a fact-finding investigation into the incident.

Up to an estimated 60,000 Moroccans flooded all at once into Ceuta, which borders Morocco in North Africa, until the 1st, leaving Spanish authorities and Europe in profound shock.

Morocco tallied the number of people who entered Ceuta without authorization at 40,000, with another 1,135 entering Melilla, another Spanish border enclave.

Although Spain's Ministry of the Interior stated that most of them subsequently returned to Morocco voluntarily, the repercussions show no signs of easing as EU nations strongly criticize the Spanish government's response to the crisis.

The anti-immigration government of Giorgia Meloni in Italy took a confrontational stance against Spain, deciding to suspend the Schengen Agreement—which guarantees free movement among EU countries—specifically for Spain for one month.

Spanish authorities deployed 3,000 military and police personnel to Ceuta to search for the intruding Moroccan migrants and maintain public order, though reports indicate that hundreds of migrants remain near the border along coasts and roads.

A local correspondent for Russia's RIA Novosti reported that these migrants are hiding in various places such as under bridges, on rooftops, beaches, parks, and drainage pipes, making it difficult for law enforcement authorities to search for them as they have dispersed in small groups across the city.

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

The coast of Ceuta is also maintaining a relatively calm atmosphere, and work is underway to install floating barriers by placing buoys in Ceuta's waters.

The Spanish government previously stated that it would install barriers 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 long-dormant immigration debate.

Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, who works at a restaurant in downtown Ceuta, told the Associated Press, "If you leave the border open, of course everyone is going to try to get in," expressing the perception that the Spanish government is responsible for the crisis.

Many 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 Spain's anti-immigration far-right party Vox, visited Ceuta on the 2nd, local time, and labeled the massive influx of migrants an invasion, fiercely criticizing the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, which has pursued inclusive immigration policies.

Abascal argued, "The borders of Ceuta and Melilla are the walls defending our home and country," adding, "A corrupt government that betrays its country is failing to protect them properly."

Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV also mentioned the Ceuta crisis during the Angelus prayer held at Vatican City on the 2nd, local time.

The Pope stated, "I am following the serious situation in Ceuta with concern," and added, "I pray to God that peace, stability, and a just solution will be found."

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