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Spanish army deployed to Ceuta as 60,000 breach enclave's border and 43 die

At least 43 people have died after 60,000 are estimated to have crossed into Spain as footage shows crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach in Ceuta

At least 43 people have died attempting to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in northern Africa.

Spain has deployed troops to the area after an estimated 60,000 people streamed across the Moroccan border sparking calls for assistance from local authorities.

Crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, were pictured walking and swimming around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach in Ceuta with images showing some bodies floating in the water.

Video footage also showed tensions rising in the Moroccan port town of Beni-Enzar, near Spain's Melilla, in the evening, with some fires starting.

Spains government said it would send the armed forces to help the Civil Guard to maintain security in the city of Ceuta. It also announced that Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez would join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and visit Ceuta on Friday.

[Thousands of people crossed the border]

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Thousands of people crossed the border(Image: Reduan Dris/EPA/Shutterstock)

The escalation at the border between Spain and Morocco comes after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small exclave, mainly by swimming.

"The situation is absolute chaos," said Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain's Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, who police the border. "It's not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing," he said, adding that the border had "totally collapsed."

Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, described the situation as `'exceptional."

"The Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed," he said. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people have crossed into Ceuta, Spains national broadcaster, TVE, reported.

[People cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta]

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People cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta(Image: AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

The scenes of people crossing the frontier come after the border crisis of May 2021 when more than 8,000 migrants entered Ceuta in just two days. Pedro Snchez, Spains prime minister, said his government would provide an immediate response to the current situation.

The escalation at the frontier between Spain and Morocco comes after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small exclave, mainly by swimming, on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear what prompted so many migrants to cross to Ceuta. At least three people died attempting to reach Ceuta by sea, Sibhi and activists in both Morocco and Ceuta reported.

Juan Jesus Vivas, head of the Ceuta regional government, called for the national government in Madrid to declare a national emergency on grounds of national security, asking for more police and for the army to be deployed on the border.

Vivas said the additional police and soldiers would be necessary "to guarantee the inviolability of the frontier and citizen safety."

He had warned on Wednesday that migrant reception centres were overwhelmed, with hundreds of people sleeping on the streets.

[Crowds of people walked around the breakwaters and ran onto the beach and roads]

View 3 Images

Crowds of people walked around the breakwaters and ran onto the beach and roads(Image: AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

Spains central government said Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spains interior minister, would travel to Ceuta on Friday along with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. However ministers have stopped short of declaring a national emergency.

Pedro Snchez said in a post on X: Were mobilising all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible, he said in a post on X. I just conveyed this to President Vivas. This is the moment to build solutions, with responsibility and cooperation.

Spains government delegation in Ceuta said at least nine people died on Thursday during the chaos.

It did not provide details on the circumstances of the deaths but bodies could be seen floating in the water. Dozens have died this year trying to reach Ceuta, according to local authorities.

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