Drowned in Agony

Death toll rises: Dozens of bodies in the water

A man says a prayer upon his arrival. Dozens of migrants did not make it out of the water.(Bild: EPA/Reduan Dris)

The extent of the Ceuta disaster is becoming increasingly clear in the days that follow: After tens of thousands of migrants stormed the Spanish exclave in North Africa, emergency responders have recovered more bodies. On the ground, however, fears are growing that the situation is far worse—and the local population is gradually losing patience with the remaining new arrivals.

The death toll rose to 72 on Sunday morning, announced Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, a representative of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, in Ceuta. Previously, 67 deaths had been officially confirmed. Emergency responders continue to search the sea.

Most of the victims drowned while attempting to swim from Morocco to the exclave, the state television station RTVE had already reported on Friday, citing the authorities.

Photos and TV footage showed, among other things, numerous swimming floats and car tires that people had used in their attempt to reach Ceuta from the Moroccan coastal town of Fnideq. Others had climbed over the border fences.

Up to 200 Fears of Deaths
The Spanish newspaper “El País” quoted an anonymous police officer as saying, “There are more dead in the sea.” According to the newspaper, city authorities are preparing a facility to accommodate up to 200 bodies.

According to various official estimates, a total of 50,000 to 60,000 people entered the exclave irregularly, primarily on Wednesday and Thursday. According to the Spanish government, nearly all of them have since returned to Morocco. RTVE reported that several hundred new arrivals were still in Ceuta over the weekend.

They are still wandering aimlessly through the city—and causing unease among residents. The frustration runs deep: “Young foreign men are constantly passing by; they’re pushy. They don’t let you brush them off easily,” Alejandro told the “Bild” newspaper, for example. “That’s why I have to constantly brandish my baton to scare them off.”

Since many business owners are still afraid to open their shops, daily life has now been severely disrupted. “We’re slowly running out of bread. There was no fresh bread today because the bakeries were closed,” street cleaner Miguel Ángel Campana told AFP. In addition, residents fear that people might break into apartments and occupy them. His warning: “Keep an eye on your balconies.”

On the coast, however, the situation appears to have calmed down. No new attempts to enter the exclave by sea have been observed, reported an RVTE reporter on the scene. Only a few workers were seen, who, according to the broadcaster, were busy installing buoys to serve as a physical barrier. On Friday, the Guardia Civil had already installed a 500-meter-long inflatable orange barrier. Together with the chain of buoys, this is intended to improve control and surveillance of the area.

Floating Barrier and Chain of Buoys as a Maritime Border
By creating this physical barrier at sea, Spain also aims to close a loophole created by a ruling of the Spanish Supreme Court, which apparently played a role in the recent surge of migrants.

This inflatable barrier is now intended to stop migrants.(Bild: AFP/HENRY NICHOLLS)

The court had ruled that people who enter Spain by crossing the border irregularly via an unfortified section—such as the sea—are entitled to an individual asylum review. Accordingly, the immediate return of migrants is permissible only if a fence or other barrier must be breached.

According to Spanish authorities, smugglers spread the rumor that anyone who took advantage of this loophole would be allowed to “stay.” That is why so many people swam across—and ultimately died in the process.