Spanish North Africa enclave: Madrid denies intelligence service warning of Ceuta crisis

After the rush of tens of thousands of migrants to the Spanish North Africa exclave Ceuta, the government in Madrid rejected accusations that it had ignored warnings from the CNI secret service about a mass arrival.

No intelligence reports had been received that warned of a migration crisis of this scale, it said.

At the same time, in Ceuta, the accommodation and return of remaining migrants and the search for further victims of death are continuing.

According to the Interior Ministry in Madrid, 72 bodies have been recovered so far.

Miguel Tellado, spokesman for the opposition conservative People's Party (PP), said it was hard to imagine that the CNI had not known about the impending "wave of people".

The radio station Cadena Ser also reported "multiple warnings".

Government spokeswoman Elma Saiz replied: "No one had expected an event of this unprecedented nature."

Especially on Thursday, tens of thousands of people irregularly reached Ceuta from Morocco - most of them swimming, others climbed over the six-meter-high border fence.

The exact number is still unclear.

Regional President Juan Jesús Vivas now spoke of 80,000 arrivals, after previously assuming 60,000.

Madrid is sticking to the estimate of 50,000.

Morocco announced that around 40,000 migrants had wanted to reach Ceuta.

Thousands of migrants are still in Ceuta.

There are also different figures for the number of migrants who died, mainly off the coast of the exclave on the Strait of Gibraltar.

While Madrid continues to talk about 72 victims, representatives of the conservative regional government say there are at least 88 bodies.

According to consistent authority information, the majority of migrants have already returned to Morocco.

According to the regional government's estimate, however, 3,000 to 5,000 people are still in Ceuta.

The situation had calmed down, but it was far from normal, Vivas said.

The central government, meanwhile, puts the number of remaining migrants at around 2,500 and states that the return actions have not yet ended.

Reception centers overwhelmed

The situation remains particularly tense for unaccompanied minors.

Ceuta has been caring for at least 862 children and adolescents since the rush, according to its own information, although only 29 places are regularly available.

That's why additional accommodations are being set up in converted buildings.

The CETI reception center for adults in Ceuta is also completely overcrowded, according to the regional government, not just since the rush.

It offers space for around 600 people.

According to the information, around 1,000 additional migrants are waiting in front of the premises in provisional camps.