Spanish officials confirmed Sunday that 72 people are now known to have died following last week's massive migrant surge into Ceuta, Spain's North Afr
Spanish officials confirmed Sunday that 72 people are now known to have died following last week’s massive migrant surge into Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, after search teams pulled five additional bodies from the coastal waters.
The chaos erupted Thursday when tens of thousands of people flooded across one of only two land crossings linking the EU to the African continent, with the total number entering the territory topping 50,000.
By Sunday, Ceuta’s government delegate, Miguel Angel Perez, reported that health workers had treated over 1,000 people since the crisis began, adding that although conditions had stabilised considerably, restoring full order remained a work in progress.
The overwhelming majority of those who entered didn’t stay: within just two days, upward of 48,000 migrants had already made their way back into Morocco, with further returns continuing through the weekend.
Many of the deaths resulted from drowning during the sea crossing or from injuries sustained scaling the breakwater and fence marking the border.
Fallout from the episode has rippled across Europe, with 22 EU nations jointly demanding stronger coordinated border protections, and Italy responded by freezing visa-free Schengen travel with Spain for a month.
Madrid, whose migration stance has generally been more welcoming than that of its European counterparts as it recently rolled out a residency pathway benefiting over half a million undocumented residents, has dismissed claims that this policy encouraged the Ceuta rush, pointing out that anyone who crossed irregularly remains barred from continuing to mainland Spain or other Schengen destinations.
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