At least 18 people have died trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after approximately 49,000 migrants breached the border with Morocco and poured into the tiny territory. This marks one of the largest migration surges on the European Union's only land border with Africa.

Spain sent military and police reinforcements to Ceuta on Thursday following the mass influx by land and sea. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska on a visit to Ceuta on Friday morning to coordinate a response.

Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, described the situation as a “serious humanitarian crisis.” He said: “People are still entering. The reinforcements that have arrived are only helping the injured and other humanitarian efforts.”

Without shelter, thousands of people, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and on pavements, while others roamed the streets aimlessly. Sbihi called it “chaotic.” Among the 18 dead, many drowned, but some were killed in a crush to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach.

Video footage on Thursday showed crowds walking along the breakwaters at Tarajal beach onto local roads. While most appeared to be young men, there were also families with women and small children. Some shouted “Viva España!” to a freelance photographer.

Ceuta, along with Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in northern Morocco, periodically experiences surges in attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe. This incident underscores the ongoing challenges faced by Spain and the EU in managing migration pressures at their southern border.

Source: www.theguardian.com