Death toll in Ceuta migrant crisis reaches 72 as Spain installs floating barrier

The crossing and its toll

On 30 July, between 50,000 and 60,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco by land and sea, the largest such influx since May 2021. Many swam from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, a distance of about five kilometres, using flotation aids and tyres. Others climbed border fences. The Spanish government delegation said at least 72 bodies had been recovered by 2 August, most of them drowned. Five more were found in the previous 24 hours, and police sources told El País that more victims remained in the water. Authorities prepared a facility to hold up to 200 bodies.

The response from Madrid and Ceuta

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta on 31 July and called the mass crossing an attack and a violation of Spain's territorial integrity. He blamed human smugglers who deceive young people and lead them to their deaths. Ceuta's president Juan Jesús Vivas said the situation was unsustainable and accused the central government of acting late and inefficiently. The Ceuta assembly had unanimously requested a national emergency declaration, border closure and army deployment at 1 p.m. on Thursday; the government announced military mobilisation only at 7.30 p.m.

We are facing an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial integrity.

The return and the floating barrier

By Saturday, more than 48,000 people had returned to Morocco, according to Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Many returnees told Reuters they had been drawn by viral social-media videos but found no way to reach mainland Spain and faced hunger and hostility. Brahim, a bakery worker from Fez, said he survived three days on water alone and could not afford food prices. The government installed a 500-metre floating barrier off Tarajal beach on Saturday, with a height of 30 to 70 centimetres above water and a depth of one metre, to create a physical containment line. The measure followed a Supreme Court ruling on 8 July that barred summary returns of migrants arriving by sea without such physical barriers.

I thought I'd build a better future there. But I was surprised in Ceuta.

Political fallout and EU reaction

Italy and Denmark led a letter signed by 22 EU member states, excluding Spain and France, demanding stronger external borders and criticising Spain's recent regularisation of migrants as a pull factor. Sánchez wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday, accusing some partners of asymmetric reactions. EU interior ministers are to hold a videoconference on Tuesday. In Morocco, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) called for an independent investigation, saying the mass crossing could not have happened without the authorities' consent, and held the state fully responsible.

Misinformation and the Moroccan side

Social media were flooded with false claims, including that only military-age men crossed and that videos showed Spanish police being stoned in Ceuta. In fact, women, children and families were among the arrivals, and the stone-throwing footage was filmed in Morocco. The far-right Vox party and Germany's AfD amplified the narratives. On the Moroccan side, the border town of Fnideq saw thousands gather, and Moroccan police used tear gas and water cannon late on Thursday to disperse crowds. The Moroccan government has not released any official figures on arrivals, rescues or deaths.