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At least 19 migrants died after breaching border between Morocco and Spanish territory Ceuta
In a chaotic and tragic event, tens of thousands of migrants poured into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in just one day. 49,000 people were estimated to have crossed illegally, with at least 19 dead bodies found in the water. The mass crossing caused "absolute chaos" and put a strain on local resources. Spanish authorities had deployed troops to bolster security and maintain order.
The situation was described as a "humanitarian crisis" by local officials, who appealed for help from Madrid after a recent rise in attempted crossings. Morocco's authorities had also deployed water cannon trucks to push people back at the border.
Spain estimates that about 69,500 migrants have now returned to Morocco, exceeding initial estimates of 50,000. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border stands at 72, with 11 deaths on the Moroccan side. The European Union has called an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis and strengthen EU borders.
The incident has strained relations among some EU member states, with Italy temporarily suspending the Schengen agreement with Spain due to the influx of migrants.
Written for “Migrant Crisis in Ceuta” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Spain is sending troops to bolster security in its North African enclave of Ceuta after thousands of migrants swam from Morocco into the territory on Thursday.
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thousands → publish → Thursday
At least 18 people drowned while trying to reach Ceuta.
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people → drown → Ceuta
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.
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controls → appeal → Thursday
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.
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migrants → rule → Morocco
Spain's interior ministry accused human trafficking networks of exploiting that to "encourage the flow of undocumented migrants".
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ministry → accuse → migrants
"The armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta," the ministry said.
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ministry → reinforce → Ceuta
In a later statement, the ministry said it was working together with Morocco to ensure the return of all people who crossed into its territory "as soon as possible".
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who → say → territory
Ceuta, on Morocco's northern coast, is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar and has long been a focal point for migrants attempting to reach Europe.
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Ceuta → separate → Europe
Madrid asserts that both territories are integral parts of Spain and have the same status as the semi-autonomous regions on its mainland.
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territories → assert → mainland
Local authorities reported crossings continued overnight into Friday, with some clashes between police and migrants.
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crossings → report → police
Pictures and videos shared online appeared to show rocks being thrown across border gates and thousands of young migrants sleeping on the streets.
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Pictures → share → streets
Some 300 to 400 people also crossed into Melilla, Spain's second autonomous city in northern Africa, from Morocco, according to local officials.
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people → cross → officials
The breach prompted Italy's government to say it was considering "extraordinary measures" including closing the open border Schengen agreement with Spain.
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it → prompt → Spain
Italy and Spain do not share a land border, so Italy would likely need to get other European countries on board to be able to enforce this.
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countries → share → this
The number of migrants attempting to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta had been rising for several days.
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number → attempt → days
Then on Thursday, thousands of people slid down concrete embankments into the sea in order to swim around the jetty that marks the border.
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that → slide → border
On the Spanish side, the beaches were soon covered in rubber rings and flippers.
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beaches → cover → rings
While some migrants were celebrating their arrival, more than a dozen drowned trying.
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dozen → celebrate → arrival
It's not yet clear what prompted this surge in illegal crossings from Morocco, or how hard the authorities there tried to prevent it.
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authorities → prompt → it
At one point, a Spanish official said the border was in total collapse.
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border → say → collapse
Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, is due in the territory on Friday and has pledged to return things to normal immediately.
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Minister → pledge → normal
Migrant reception centres are overwhelmed, and the local authorities have accused Madrid of being too slow to react.
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authorities → accuse → Madrid
Juan Jesús Vivas, the leader of Ceuta, said the influx was overwhelming resources and urged the Spanish government to intervene.
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influx → say → government
The breach has also prompted a political spat with Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she's considering suspending the open border Schengen agreement with Spain.
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she → prompt → Spain
In a post on X, she said the images from Ceuta were "striking", and show that "uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe's borders".
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immigration → say → borders
Her comments echoed similar remarks made earlier in the day by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
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comments → echo → Tajani
However, it is a threat that seems impossible to enforce.
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that → seem → ?
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares accused Tajani of weaponising immigration for political ends.
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Albares → accuse → ends
He said such remarks were "improper" for "a partner and friendly country from which we expect European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery".
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we → say → solidarity
He also summoned the Italian ambassador to Madrid on Friday.
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He → summon → Friday
The Schengen Area is a system of open borders spanning 29 European countries that have officially abolished controls at their common borders.
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that → span → borders
It was unclear how many exactly had crossed the border.
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many → cross → border
Spanish media estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 people entered Ceuta on Thursday, according to Reuters, but said that the Guardia Civil had not confirmed the figure.
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Civil → estimate → figure
As tensions rose, there were unconfirmed reports of clashes late on Thursday.
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tensions → rise → Thursday
In Fnideq, a Moroccan town near the Ceuta border, Moroccan authorities fired water cannons at migrants in an attempt to deter them from crossing, witnesses told Reuters.
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witnesses → fire → Reuters
In Melilla, footage from local media and human rights organisations appeared to show clashes at the Beni Ansar border point.
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footage → appear → point
The surge has prompted comparisons with May 2021, when around 8,000 people entered Ceuta over a matter of days, exacerbating diplomatic tensions with Morocco.
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people → prompt → Morocco
Ceuta and Melilla represent the European Union's only land border with Africa.
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Ceuta → represent → Africa
Spanish authorities have increased security around the enclaves in recent years through increased surveillance, barrier reinforcement, and improved bilateral relations with Morocco, but people continue to attempt to cross.
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people → increase → Morocco
