About 49,000 migrants enter Spanish territory: 18 deaths reported
Published: 31 July 2026, 6:23:28
Photo: Collected
About 49,000 migrants have entered into Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta from Morocco in the last 24 hours via wall scaling and through sea, while 18 lost lives during process, Officials estimate.
According to a report by BBC, videos taken by locals and images show thousands of people, swimming into the city of Ceuta on Thursday. Local media reported the border crossing continued overnight.
Officials said at least 18 people have died while trying to reach European territory in recent days.
This occurred after the Spanish Supreme Court ruled this month that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be pushed back to Morocco.
As Ceuta lies on Morocco’s northern coast, it is separated from Mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar and has long been a focal point for migrants attempting to reach Europe.
Local officials had appealed to Madrid for help after a recent rise in attempted crossings, but there were chaotic scenes on Thursday as border controls apparently broke down.
Astonishing estimation by Spanish authorities reveal that number of migrants who entered into Ceuta in the last day, could be more than half of the population of the entire city, which sits around 83,600 according to the latest figures.
Spain later deployed its armed forces to bolster security in Ceuta and at its sister city of Melilla, where 300-400 crossings were also reported overnight.
Both territories trace their Spanish past to the 15th Century, and they have enjoyed a limited degree of self-government as Autonomous Communities since 1995.
They form the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.
Many of those crossing the border from Morocco have been young, mainly men, although there are also women and children in the crowds and even babies.
Officials estimate at least 7,000 of those who crossed illegally into the territory in the last 24 hours are minors.
A 24-year-old migrant named Yassine said to media that he could not go back to Morocco. “I have nothing there, Morocco is death,” he said.
The sudden influx of people on Thursday followed several days with an increase in arrivals swimming into Ceuta. It appears that word of their success spread quickly
