72 die in Spain’s Ceuta migrant rush

At least 72 migrants have died during a mass influx into Spain's Ceuta enclave from Morocco. According to the government's delegate to Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez Triano, this was the latest figure, up from a previous toll of 67 deaths.

The mass influx involved an estimated 60,000 people, mostly swimming around the border post from Morocco. Most of these individuals have since returned to Morocco within 48 hours. Spanish forces escorted the remaining migrants to the Ceuta-Morocco border crossing as the enclave returned to normal.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the mass crossing as a violation of Spain's territorial integrity and blamed the incident on people-smuggling networks. The incident has caused an international crisis for Spain, with European partners criticising Madrid for its immigration policies. A 500-meter-long barrier was installed by Spain in response to the influx.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Euronews, Free Malaysia Today, France 24, Le Monde English — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.