Spain: At least 67 migrants die while crossing into the city of Ceuta

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced on Saturday that the number of deaths in the migrant crisis in the city of Ceuta has risen to 67, placing responsibility for the incident on smuggling networks. Grande-Marlaska stated that what occurred in Ceuta was “an unacceptable attack on our country’s sovereignty,” adding that individuals who entered Ceuta irregularly would never receive legal regularization. In this regard, sources in the Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported that their forces began installing containment barriers at the Tarajal border crossing in Ceuta, a move aimed at strengthening protection of the border area. National Radio cited government data indicating that approximately 50,000 migrants entered Ceuta illegally in recent days via the Strait of Gibraltar, while regional President Juan Jesús Vivas suggested the figure was higher, estimating it could reach 60,000. Meanwhile, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced that 48,300 of the migrants had voluntarily returned to Morocco.