Guwahati 3 Aug, 2026 : Spain has announced the installation of a 500-metre containment barrier along the breakwater at its border with Morocco after around 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on July 30 and 31. The move comes as the death toll linked to the border crisis has risen to 67, according to the Spanish government.
Authorities said the fatalities included people who drowned while attempting to reach Ceuta by sea and others who died in a stampede near the breakwater crossing.
On Saturday morning, a small number of exhausted migrants who swam to Tarajal Beach in Ceuta were intercepted by Spanish soldiers and escorted back across the border. Spain’s Interior Ministry said most of the migrants who entered the North African territory during the two-day surge have already returned to Morocco.
Although the situation has become calmer after several days of large crowds and disruption, officials said normalcy has not yet fully returned. Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish city with a population of about 84,000, continues to deal with the effects of the mass border crossing.
Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas said the process of returning migrants to Morocco had begun smoothly but was still ongoing. He added that daily life in the city had been significantly affected and that conditions had not yet returned to normal.
Some migrants have chosen to remain in Ceuta despite limited access to food and other essential supplies. Among them is 23-year-old Moroccan national Mohamed Hatri, who said he intended to stay despite the difficult conditions, expressing hope of building a future in Spain.