In a tragic attempt to reach safety, at least 18 migrants have lost their lives trying to enter Ceuta, a Spanish territory adjacent to Morocco. This incident prompted a military response from Spain after an unprecedented number of people breached the border and flooded the small exclave.
Amidst the turmoil, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is set to visit Ceuta alongside Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, with their arrival anticipated on Friday morning.
Describing the harrowing scene, Rachid Sbihi, head of a local worker’s association for Civil Guard officers, termed the situation as a “serious humanitarian crisis.”
“Even now, migrants continue to cross the border,” he commented, noting that the reinforcements currently present are focused on aiding the injured and handling other humanitarian tasks.
With no proper refuge, countless migrants, including many children without parental guidance, are left to fend for themselves. Many were seen sleeping on sidewalks and in parks, while others wandered the streets, displaying the chaotic nature of the crisis, he explained.
Among the 18 who died, many drowned but some were also killed in the stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach, Sbihi said.
Video footage on Thursday showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach onto local roads.
While most appeared to be young men, there were also families with women and small children.
“Viva España!” some shouted to a freelance photographer working for the AP.
It was not immediately clear what prompted so many migrants to cross to Ceuta.