At least 57 migrants trying to reach the Spanish territory of Ceuta have died after breaching the border from Morocco, as tens of thousands of people entered the enclave in the past 24 hours.
The Spanish government confirmed the raised death toll on Friday evening. Earlier in the day, Juan Jesus Vivas, the regional president of the North African Spanish enclave, had told reporters that 34 people had perished, without giving details about how they died.He said about 60,000 people had crossed from Morocco into Ceuta by land and sea, many by swimming around a border barrier stretching into the water.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who travelled to Ceuta on Friday, said his government was mobilising all available resources in response to the situation.
Sanchez called the crossings a “violation” of Spanish territorial sovereignty, saying that authorities were speeding up the repatriation of this week’s arrivals. Spain’s Ministry of Interior said some 25,000 people were returned from Ceuta to Morocco so far on Friday
Videos and images showed thousands of people swimming into the city on Thursday, while local media reported crossings continuing overnight.Officials say at least 18 people have died while trying to reach the territory in recent days.
This comes after Spain's Supreme Court ruled this month that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish enclave, cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.Spain sending troops as thousands enter enclave of Ceuta from Morocco
Local officials had appealed to Madrid for help after a recent rise in attempted crossings, but there were chaotic scenes on Thursday as border controls apparently broke down.
Spain later deployed its armed forces to bolster security in Ceuta and at its sister city of Melilla, where between 300 to 400 crossings were also reported overnight.
The astonishing estimation by Spanish officials suggests the number of migrants who entered into Ceuta in the last day or so could be more than half of the population of the city - which sits at around 83,600 according to the latest local figures.
Officials say at least 7,000 of those who crossed illegally into the territory in the last 24 hours are minors.
Spain's interior ministry said it was working with Morocco to ensure the return of all who crossed illegally into its territory "as soon as possible".
If the official estimates are correct, this would be the largest number of migrants to cross into Ceuta since May 2021, where more than 10,000 people entered the city.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez is set to visit Ceuta later on Friday.