MADRID: 18 people died as thousands of migrants crossed overnight from Morocco into Spain's northern Africa enclave of Ceuta, a police source said on Friday, adding that it was impossible to estimate how many people in total.
"There was a steady stream of people all night long," and while arrivals were lower than during the day, migrants "continued to arrive overnight and are still arriving" on Friday morning, the source said.
A total of 18 people died while attempting to reach the Spanish enclave, the source said.
Spanish PM heads to enclave over migrant influx
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday planned to head to the country's north African enclave after the illegal migrants crossed the frontier.
Spain sent troops to the Ceuta enclave after hundreds crossed from Morocco around the frontier fence to enter into Spanish territory, many swimming around the border.
Migration from Morocco into Spain's two north African territories, Ceuta and Melilla, has long been a sensitive issue between the two countries, as thousands cross the border at times.
Italy on Thursday called for Spain to be suspended from Europe's open-borders Schengen zone, prompting Spain to summon Italy's ambassador to Madrid.
On Thursday, AFP reporters saw a stream of adults and children entering Ceuta after having swum there. Discarded flotation rings and clothes were abandoned on the shore near where the border barrier meets the sea.
Spain said troops would reinforce the Civil Guard to maintain security in Ceuta, where local officials said they now face a humanitarian and social emergency.
Sanchez will visit the Tarajal border crossing with Interior Minister Fernando Gramnde-Marlaska on Friday, the government said in a statement.
Ceuta and Melilla have Europe's only two land borders with Africa.
Migrants walked through the streets of Ceuta, thanking the Spanish police and calling out: "Bye bye, Morocco, hello Spain."
Police and Civil Guards in Ceuta appeared to do little to intervene, although some officers attempted to direct the arrivals to the local migrant reception centre.
Morocco's authorities had not yet issued an official statement on the influx of people, but a Moroccan official source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the two countries had spoken about the matter.
In 2021, more than 10,000 migrants reached Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco over the course of two days, taking advantage of a loosening of border controls by Rabat during a crisis between the two countries.
That dispute erupted after Spain decided to host the leader of the Sahrawi independence movement, the Polisario Front, for medical treatment.
Polisario guerillas fought a long war with Morocco over the independence of the Western Sahara region. Morocco's neighbour Algeria had supported the Polisario group.
That diplomatic crisis ended in 2022 when Madrid reversed its long-standing policy of neutrality and backed Morocco's plan for Western Sahara-- a move that had caused a diplomatic rift between Madrid and Algiers.
Sanchez visited Algiers on July 20 -- the first such visit by a Spanish head of government in four years -- marking a thaw in relations with Algeria.
