At least 72 people died in Ceuta following a mass border breach
In the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa, at least 72 people died during a mass border crossing from Morocco. According to Ceuta officials, as reported by Deutsche Welle English, nearly all of the more than 50,000 people who crossed the border by land and sea this week have already returned to the Moroccan side.
Miguel Ángel Pérez, the Spanish government’s representative in Ceuta, stated that people died as a result of drowning and stampedes near the breakwater and the border fence. Medical services provided assistance to more than a thousand people. On Sunday, Spanish Civil Guard vessels continued searching for bodies in the waters near the city.
In Ceuta, which normally has a population of about 84,000, the situation has improved significantly, but local authorities said more work is still needed to return the city to normal. Spain has stepped up police and military patrols and installed a 500-meter floating barrier in the waters near Ceuta to strengthen border security.
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that in less than 48 hours, the country had regained control of the border, repatriated virtually all individuals who had crossed it irregularly, and prevented them from moving to mainland Spain. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also stated that none of the participants in the breach reached mainland Spain or other European countries.
Amid the crisis, EU interior ministers are set to hold an emergency video conference. Twenty-two of the 27 EU member states had called for the meeting. At the same time, right-wing and far-right politicians in Spain criticized the Sánchez government for its failure to prevent the mass border crossing.
