FOUR people have died and at least 20 others are feared missing after hundreds of migrants attempted to swim from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
Police said more than 200 people attempted the dangerous crossing between Saturday and Sunday, with most entering the sea from the Moroccan coast near Castillejos.
More than 100 migrants reached Ceuta, while Moroccan security forces prevented many others from completing the journey, Spanish police sources told elDiario.es.
Spain’s Guardia Civil recovered one body on Saturday before finding three more on Sunday, bringing the total number of migrant deaths recorded along Ceuta’s coastline this year to 27.
Families have also reported around 20 people missing after the crossing, although the exact number has not been officially confirmed.
The surge in arrivals has left Ceuta’s migrant reception centre at full capacity. The facility, designed to accommodate 512 people, now has more than 100 migrants waiting outside for a place.
Guardia Civil sources told Spanish news agency EFE they believe the increase in crossings is linked to a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling that ended the immediate return of migrants intercepted after swimming into Ceuta from Morocco.
The judgment halted years of so-called ‘pushbacks’ at sea, pending new instructions from Spain’s central government, prompting concern among local authorities over growing migration pressure.
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