• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. 67 migrants died during Ceuta border crossing attempts.
  2. Thousands entered Ceuta, prompting Spain to build new barrier.
  3. Ceuta residents face disruption; some migrants refuse to leave.

Ceuta Crisis: The death toll in the Spain-Morocco border crisis has risen to 67, Spain's government said on Saturday. Some people died after drowning in the sea, while others were killed in a stampede while trying to cross a breakwater barrier near the border.

Thousands Enter Ceuta, Spain Builds New Barrier

The deaths occurred during a major border breach into Ceuta, a small Spanish territory in North Africa. Thousands of migrants attempted to enter the region in search of better opportunities and a new life in Spain. According to reports, around 60,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta between Thursday and Friday.

Following the large-scale border crossing, Spain has announced plans to build a new 500-metre-long containment barrier along the breakwater fence that extends into the sea. Earlier, Spain's Interior Ministry said that most of the migrants who entered Ceuta have already returned to Morocco. On Saturday morning, a few exhausted migrants who managed to swim to Ceuta's Tarajal beach were stopped by soldiers. The troops escorted them back across the border into Morocco.

ALSO READ: 57 Dead In Morocco-Spain Border Crisis: Why Thousands Tried To Enter Ceuta? Explained

Ceuta Residents Face Uncertainty After Chaos

After several days of chaos, residents of Ceuta woke up to a tense calm on Saturday. Many migrants had arrived hoping for a better future in Spain, but the sudden border crisis disrupted daily life in the city. Ceuta is home to around 84,000 people. According to authorities, normal conditions have not yet returned.

Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas described the impact of the crisis, saying, "Life in this city has been disrupted as a result of the border incident." He added, "The return of people has begun satisfactorily, but the process must be completed. The city has not yet returned to normal."

Some Migrants Refuse to Leave Ceuta

Despite efforts to send migrants back to Morocco, some people have chosen to remain in Ceuta. Among them is 23-year-old Moroccan migrant Mohamed Hatri, who said authorities were trying to force migrants to leave by limiting access to basic needs. "They've closed everything down so that we can't buy anything to eat, to force us to return to our country," Hatri told AP.

He added, "But even if they close it down we're round to stay here, whether we're hungry or not." The Ceuta border crisis has become one of the biggest migration challenges faced by Spain in recent years.

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