72 Dead as Spain’s Ceuta Enclave Recovers From Record Migrant Influx

The death toll from last week’s unprecedented migrant surge into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta has risen to 72, according to local authorities.

The updated figure was confirmed on Sunday by the Spanish government’s delegate to Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, who said the number of fatalities had increased from the previously reported 67.

“The latest figure that we have is 72,” Pérez Triano told reporters.

The tragedy followed the arrival of an estimated 60,000 migrants, most of whom reportedly swam around the border barrier separating Morocco from the Spanish enclave in what has become the largest mass border crossing in Ceuta’s history.

Although the influx initially overwhelmed local authorities, officials said the majority of those who entered the territory have voluntarily returned to Morocco over the past 48 hours.

On Sunday, Spanish police officers and soldiers remained deployed across Ceuta as security operations continued and normalcy gradually returned to the enclave.

Only small groups of migrants were still visible in parts of the city, while security personnel continued patrols around key locations.

According to an AFP reporter, Spanish soldiers detained a group of nine migrants near the port before escorting them for processing.

Authorities also deployed rescue boats to patrol waters near the border, where a newly installed 500 metre floating security barrier has been added to reinforce surveillance along the Mediterranean coastline.

Meanwhile, members of Spain’s Civil Guard were seen escorting migrants back to the border crossing for their return to Morocco.

The mass migration has sparked political tensions across Europe, with some European partners criticising Spain’s immigration policies.

Spanish authorities have blamed organised criminal networks for encouraging the crossings by spreading claims that a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling had made it easier for migrants arriving by sea to remain in Ceuta.