Spanish Ceuta witnesses a deadly ‘game’ for Moroccan migrants

The death toll from Thursday's mass influx into Ceuta, Spain's North African territory, has risen to 72 as of Sunday, with five more bodies discovered along the coast, according to officials. Over 50,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta by land and sea in an unprecedented surge that began on Thursday, causing alarm across the European Union.

More than 48,000 of the migrants returned to Morocco within 48 hours, with additional arrivals over the weekend, as reported by Spanish authorities. In addition to the 72 fatalities, over 1,000 people have been treated by health services since Thursday, as stated by Miguel Angel Perez, the Spanish government representative in Ceuta.

The city's situation has improved, but efforts continue to restore normalcy. Some migrants drowned, and others were crushed while attempting to climb the breakwater and border fence. Many migrants were motivated by economic hardship and influenced by social media rumors. Karima Abenaz, a French national with family in Morocco, expressed deep concern over young lives lost at sea, stating it is unacceptable that children as young as two months old are risking their lives to cross the sea.

Juan Jesus Vivas, the leader of Ceuta, reported that the city's morgue received 88 corpses, including victims of previous, smaller attempts to reach the territory in recent weeks. Moroccan authorities are also recovering bodies from the sea, though no official figures have been released. Authorities have increased police and army patrols, and installed a 500-meter floating barrier off Ceuta on Saturday.

A letter signed by 22 EU member states called for coordinated action to protect external borders and additional measures following the Ceuta incident. Italy temporarily suspended passport-free Schengen travel arrangements with Spain for one month. Spain maintains a more open policy towards migrants compared to other EU nations, offering residency to more than half a million undocumented individuals.

However, the country has denied claims that its program contributed to the influx into Ceuta, clarifying that those who enter Ceuta irregularly cannot proceed to mainland Spain or other Schengen zone locations.