The authorities in Ceuta reported that 88 migrants had died
The morgue in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa is holding the bodies of 88 migrants who died in recent days while attempting to enter Spain illegally. The head of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, reported this death toll.
The central government of Spain cites a lower figure—72 migrant deaths during the crisis. According to Vivas, due to the scale of the tragedy, the morgue has been prepared to store up to 200 bodies.
The mayor of Ceuta described the situation as dramatic on both sides of the border and noted that Morocco is also recovering bodies from the sea. Not all of the deceased were victims of the stampede that occurred on Thursday near the sea barrier. At that time, a large number of people were simultaneously trying to reach the Spanish side of the beach.
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According to “European Truth,” citing El País, funeral service workers report that many of the deceased are teenagers and several are women. Among them are Moroccan citizens and people from sub-Saharan African countries.
Spanish authorities estimated that tens of thousands of migrants had entered Ceuta illegally in the last days of July. On July 31, they reported that most of them had already been returned to Morocco. Against the backdrop of the crisis, 22 EU countries called on the bloc’s leadership to provide an immediate and coordinated European response, and Ireland convened a meeting of the EU Council for Justice and Home Affairs for August 4.
