The death toll in a mass rush of tens of thousands of people trying to cross onto a tiny peninsula on Morocco's coast has risen to 67. Border controls along the six-mile-long peninsula have broken down in recent days, allowing people to cross into the side governed by Spain. Around 50,000 migrants climbed over 20-foot-high border fences or swam for hours to get into the city of Ceuta this week, mostly on Thursday. Dozens drowned or were crushed in the surge.
Officials describe 'absolutely unsustainable' situation
Juan Jesús Vivas, the head of Ceuta's government, said the situation was "absolutely unsustainable" for a city of just 83,000 people. At least 48,300 migrants, mostly young Moroccan men looking for work, had been returned to Morocco as of Friday evening. City officials refused to feed or shelter those who remained.
Migrants speak of hunger and beatings
Soufiane ez-Znafry, a 26-year-old sous chef from Tangier, told The New York Times that many people turned back because of hunger. "All these people are hungry because we have not eaten in two days," he said, adding that his stomach was "growling". He said he left Tangier for Ceuta on Thursday carrying a bag of clothing and a few prized possessions, but Spanish authorities took the bag away and gave him only a pair of sandals. Other Moroccans told the newspaper they had been beaten - sometimes until unconscious - by hooded people. Teenagers as young as 15 told Spanish newspaper El País that they had fled to Ceuta without telling their parents and were now looking for a phone to tell their families they were safe.
Spain installs floating barrier
Spain is a main point of arrival for people seeking a new life in Europe, or those fleeing war or violence in their home countries. Spain began installing a floating barrier near a sea wall on the Tarajal breakwater between the borders this morning. A handful of exhausted migrants who swam to the beach this morning were met by soldiers who forced them to return. The 1,640-foot buoy will create "a containment barrier, a physical barrier, if only a visual one" to strengthen the borders, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Friday.
Political fallout
The exact cause of the sudden influx is unclear, but Sánchez blamed smuggling groups exploiting a recent Supreme Court ruling. Judges ruled that Spanish authorities cannot immediately expel asylum seekers who attempt to swim to Spain's territories in Africa. Human traffickers spread rumours about the ruling, Sánchez added, misleading migrants into thinking it meant they could remain on Spanish soil. The deaths have been seized on by right-wing politicians across Europe, with Italy suspending its Schengen Area agreement with Spain. Italy will subject non-European Union citizens entering Italy from Spain to additional scrutiny this month. The Schengen Area allows passport-free movement among EU member states; Ceuta, however, is not part of it.
