At least 72 people died during an unprecedented mass crossing from Morocco into Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave, according to the Spanish central government's latest count on Sunday. Authorities said five more bodies had been found along the coast as the territory recovered from the arrival of roughly 60,000 people by land and sea on Thursday and Friday. Local officials reported a higher morgue total of 88, underlining that the casualty count remained unsettled.
Most of those who entered had returned voluntarily to Morocco by Sunday, the Associated Press and Le Monde reported. Spain's Interior Ministry put the influx at about 50,000, while other Spanish estimates reached 60,000; Le Monde said more than 48,000 had gone back. Hunger, exhaustion, limited shelter and the absence of a clear route onward led many people to reverse course after spending days in streets and public spaces.
Spanish health services treated more than 1,000 people after the surge began, according to authorities cited by Reuters and Al Jazeera. Spain increased the combined presence of police, Civil Guard personnel and troops in Ceuta to nearly 3,000 and installed a floating barrier near the El Tarajal frontier. Officials said Sunday was calmer, with only a small number of attempted swimming crossings and continuing patrols on land and at sea.
Ceuta and Melilla form the European Union's only land borders with Africa, but neither enclave belongs to the passport-free Schengen area. Migrants in Ceuta therefore cannot simply travel to mainland Spain and must pass border controls. Some people remained near the official reception centre and beaches on Sunday, relying on residents and soldiers for food and water while seeking information about asylum, return procedures or possible transfer.
Reports described social-media posts as a powerful trigger for the sudden movement. Le Monde also noted a July 8 Spanish Supreme Court ruling that barred immediate returns of migrants intercepted while reaching Ceuta by sea. The outlet cited Morocco's official statistics showing 10.8 percent unemployment overall and 29.2 percent among people aged 15 to 24, economic pressures that help explain why many young Moroccans joined the crossing.
Spanish officials said they would accelerate lawful return files for people who entered irregularly, while Pope Leo XIV appealed for peace, stability and justice. The immediate flow had sharply declined by Sunday, but recovery teams were still searching the coast and authorities had not established a final number of people remaining in Ceuta. The differing official death and arrival figures mean the full human cost of the crisis is still being determined.
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