Around 70,000 migrants who entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta have been turned back or left the territory, while the death toll from the massive crisis on the border between Morocco and Spain has reached 75 people, Spanish authorities announced.
According to Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, of the approximately 72,000 people who crossed into Ceuta during the unprecedented wave of migrants, approximately 70,000 have been returned to Morocco. He said the Spanish authorities' response was swift and that the situation at the border has stabilized.
The crisis erupted after a mass migration of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa. Thousands of people attempted to enter the territory by crossing the land border and swimming around border barriers, media reports said.
Spanish authorities reported that dozens of people died while trying to cross the border, mainly due to drownings and the chaos created by the sheer number of people. The death toll gradually rose in the days following the crisis.
Despite the return of most migrants to Morocco, several thousand people still remained in Ceuta, including hundreds of unaccompanied minors, creating great pressure on reception centers and local services.
The crisis has sparked a broad debate in the European Union about strengthening external borders, fighting smuggling networks and how to manage illegal migration. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for stronger measures to protect European borders after the events in Ceuta. /Telegraph/
