EU chief urges 'united action' on borders after Spain's Ceuta migrant rush

Madrid's government has denied accusations that it neglected intelligence warnings from the CNI about a massive influx of migrants into Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa. The government stated that they had not received any intelligence reports predicting such a scale of migration crisis. Meanwhile, the process of accommodating and repatriating the remaining migrants, as well as the search for additional fatalities, is ongoing in Ceuta.

So far, 72 bodies have been recovered, according to Madrid's Ministry of the Interior. Miguel Tellado, a spokesman for the opposition conservative People’s Party (PP), expressed skepticism about the CNI's ability to have been unaware of the "human wave" approaching. However, government spokeswoman Elma Saiz maintained that "No one had anticipated such an unprecedented event".

Last week, an estimated tens of thousands of migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco, most through swimming or climbing over the six-meter-high border fence. The exact number remains unconfirmed. Regional President Juan Jesus Vivas now claims that the arrivals totaled 80,000, while Madrid maintains an estimate of 50,000. Morocco reported around 40,000 attempts to reach Ceuta.

There are discrepancies in the reported fatalities, with Madrid citing 72 deaths and the conservative regional government stating at least 88. The majority of migrants have since returned to Morocco, with Madrid estimating around 2,500 remaining. The central government also mentioned that the repatriation efforts are not yet complete.