How 49,000 migrants crossed into Spanish enclave of Ceuta in 24 hours – in pictures

A mass crossing of migrants into Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory jutting into the Mediterranean from Morocco, has shocked and divided Europe. Tens of thousands of people crossed into the enclave over the past 24 hours and at least 18 people have died trying to reach Ceuta, according to reports. The city, and Melilla, another Spanish territory, are both home to around 85,000 people and have the European Union’s only land border with Africa. Shorts What happened in Ceuta? Around 50,000 people arrived by sea and land in 24 hours, with at least 18 dead bodies found in the water. The Spanish national security department said on its website ⁠that more than 49,000 people were estimated to have crossed illegally in 24 hours, citing the interior ministry. The statement was later deleted from the website with no immediate explanation. Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain’s civil guard officers in Ceuta, said the situation is “absolute chaos”. He also said many of the dead drowned while others were killed in a stampede. Migrants from Morocco gather by the border fence as they cross the Spanish border, swimming through the sea, as seen from Ceuta, Spain (Photo: Fabian Bimmer/Reuters) People gather on a hilltop close to the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border (Photo: Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP via Getty Images) Videos and images shared online showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco onto local roads. Many of those who made the crossing appeared to be young men, but women and children also made the journey from Morocco into Ceuta. How have the authorities responded? Spain and Morocco reinforced the border fence of the Spanish enclave on Friday and appeared to have largely halted mass crossings. On Thursday, Spain deployed military units to bolster police stationed in Ceuta. At the gates into Ceuta, Moroccan authorities deployed water cannon trucks and pushed people back. What has Spain’s prime minister said? Speaking from Ceuta on Friday, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said that what happened in Ceuta was “a violation of Spanish territorial sovereignty”. He condemned the scenes witnessed in Ceuta and said Spain will use all the resources of the state to guarantee the safety of the city. Sánchez also said that Spain is speeding up the repatriation of migrants who have entered the enclave “irregularly” since yesterday. How have other European leaders reacted? France said it was increasing checks on its border with Spain. Meanwhile, Marine ​Le Pen, presidential candidate from France’s far-right National Rally, said on X: “In the ​face of the massive and coordinated influx of migrants into Spain — encouraged by the Spanish government — France must immediately strengthen its border controls.” Spanish Soldiers patrol near the Spanish-Moroccan border in Ceuta, Spain (Photo: Fabian Bimmer/Reuters) Moroccan security forces use water canon to disperse the crowds at the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border (Photo: Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP via Getty Images) Italy has threatened to suspend Spain from the EU’s internal open border scheme. Its foreign minister, Antonio Tajani said: “The images coming from Ceuta show how the Madrid Government’s decision to grant Spanish, and therefore European, citizenship to ⁠over 500,000 irregular immigrants is profoundly wrong and encourages human trafficking.” Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said Tajani’s message was “inappropriate”. He added that he would summon the Italian ambassador to protest.