At least 19 migrants trying to reach the Spanish territory of Ceuta have died after breaching the border from Morocco, authorities say, as tens of thousands of people are reported to have entered the enclave in the past 24 hours.
Thousands of people rushed by sea and land from Morocco into the North African Spanish enclave on Thursday and overnight into Friday. According to reports from news agencies, citing unnamed police sources and officials, more than 40,000 people may have entered the territory.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government was mobilising all available resources in response to the situation. Sanchez is expected to join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in a visit to Ceuta on Friday.
Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers’ association representing Civil Guard officers, called the situation a “serious humanitarian crisis”, saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were sleeping on sidewalks, while others roamed the streets of Ceuta aimlessly.
“People are still entering. The reinforcements that have arrived are only helping the injured and other humanitarian efforts,” he told The Associated Press news agency. “It’s chaotic.”
Among the 19 who died, many drowned, Sbihi said, but some were also killed in a stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach, an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco.
At the gates into Ceuta, Moroccan authorities had deployed water cannon trucks and pushed people back. The charred remains of a bus and seven cars could be seen nearby from clashes with the crowds.
Video footage on Thursday showed hoards of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters onto local roads. Most appeared to be young men, but there were also families with women and small children.
Ceuta, together with Melilla – another autonomous Spanish city in North Africa – represents the European Union’s only land border with Africa. Both cities often experience surges in attempted crossings by people seeking to migrate to Europe.
To reach Ceuta on the northern African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 5km (3 miles) to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.
Ceuta authorities have linked the surge in attempted crossings to a Spanish Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that barred authorities from immediately returning migrants who arrive by sea without due process. The ruling does not apply to migrants who enter Spain by land, including by climbing over the border fence.
But some activists in Morocco expressed doubt that the ruling was behind the surge, arguing most migrants would have been unaware of such legal decisions.
France has said it will tighten its borders with Spain after the recent developments.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on X on Friday that he had “given instructions to immediately step up controls at the Spanish border” on Thursday night. He also announced the activation of the rapid intervention border force “for in-depth inspections”.
The border crisis has already had ripple effects in Italy, another key destination for migrants. Premier Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend Italy’s open-border Schengen agreement with Spain “to defend our borders and ensure the safety of our citizens”, though Italy does not share a border with Spain.
Juan Jesus Vivas, the head of Ceuta’s regional government, had called for the national government to declare an emergency on grounds of national security, asking for more police and for the army to be deployed on the border “to guarantee the inviolability of the frontier and citizen safety”.
Spain’s Ministry of Interior rejected calls to declare a national emergency, saying such a measure does not cover migration crises, but promised additional resources.
