Ceuta swamped by thousands of migrants after massive border influx

A sudden surge of migrants last week left Ceuta, Spain's small North African enclave, overwhelmed, with hundreds now camped on El Trampolin beach and thousands still inside the territory. Juan Jesus Vivas said between 3,000 and 5,000 people remain, and the enclave's adult and minor reception facilities have effectively collapsed. Spain estimates that about 69,500 migrants have been sent back to Morocco over the last four days, while the official death count is 72 on the Spanish side and 11 in Morocco.

The crisis has intensified anti-immigration rhetoric across Europe and prompted an emergency EU interior ministers' video conference. Spain's foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares criticised Italy and warned that Morocco's handling was unreliable, while Moroccan officials blamed misinformation and relaxed border controls during the Throne Day holiday. Intelligence reports suggest Morocco did not orchestrate the crossing but allowed it to happen, a claim that has strained relations between the two countries' security services.