Rabat – Spanish authorities said they are continuing to search around the Tarajal border breakwater, as 60 bodies were recovered on the Ceuta coast in the aftermath of the mass crossings to the enclave.
EFE, the Spanish news agency, reported the latest figures, quoting security sources. Most of the bodies that have been recovered were found in the sea.
“With these deaths, the number of migrants who have died this year trying to swim to Ceuta rises to 92,” the report said.
Security services continue the search to recover potential bodies of people who took the risk to cross to Ceuta as part of the mass influx that took place in recent days, especially on Friday. Over 60,000 people entered Ceuta in just one day, local authorities estimate.
Morocco and Spain agreed on the return of all migrants that entered the enclave irregularly. They also agreed to review the measures and hailed their cooperation in migration management as exemplary. Both countries also intensified troop deployments and border control as the influx of migrants overwhelmed security services deployed over the past week.
EFE today said the Spanish Ministry of the Interior installed barriers on the Tarajal border breakwater, including a 500-meter-long pneumatic barrier to mitigate the crisis. Moroccan authorities also arrested at least 70 people for their alleged involvement in violent incidents during clashes with the police in Fnideq, also known as Castillejos.
Videos documenting the mass influx made headlines worldwide, with some demanding an investigation and others calling for reforms to encourage youth to stay home. Both Spain and Morocco said criminal organizations caused the situation through misinformation and by exploiting vulnerable people.
Spanish authorities said at least 69,500 irregular migrants have left the Spanish enclave of Ceuta for Morocco in the last 30 hours.
