Spain says migrants leaving Ceuta after mass influx in which 67 died

What the report says

Spain said on Friday that “virtually all” of the estimated 60,000 migrants who entered the North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in a sudden surge over recent days had since left voluntarily. The report, published by Al Jazeera and Reuters, said the death toll from the crossing attempt had risen to at least 67, with Spanish officials warning there could be more casualties on the Moroccan side of the border. Some people drowned, while others were reportedly crushed while trying to scale the breakwater near the border fence.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the people who entered Ceuta had mostly returned to Morocco, and officials in Madrid and Ceuta described the mass movement as a serious challenge to public order and Spain’s territorial sovereignty. Spain’s Interior Ministry said roughly 50,000 people crossed since Thursday morning, while local authorities in Ceuta put the figure as high as 60,000. The government also began installing a containment barrier along the breakwater fence and Moroccan police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse people near the border.

The episode triggered concern across the European Union, especially in Schengen-area countries that have removed internal border checks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the images from Ceuta unacceptable, while France said it would tighten controls and Italy threatened to suspend its open-border arrangement with Spain. Ceuta and Melilla remain the EU’s only land borders with Africa and have long been points of attempted migration from Morocco, making the latest surge politically sensitive and legally important.