Spain Installs Floating Barrier at Ceuta After Deadly Migrant Surge

Spain has begun installing a 500-metre floating barrier off the coast of Ceuta after a mass influx of illegal migrants left at least 67 people dead, according to Reuters reporting.

Spanish authorities said illegal migrant crossings into the North African enclave ceased overnight as police and the Civil Guard started deploying the floating barrier on Saturday along the maritime border with Morocco.

The move follows an unprecedented surge that saw around 50,000 people attempt to enter Ceuta by land and sea since Thursday, making it one of the largest migration incidents ever recorded at one of the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.

The Spanish government said it returned more than 48,000 migrants to Morocco within 48 hours.

Reuters video footage showed Spanish soldiers and police patrolling the nearly deserted Tarajal beach, one of the main crossing points into Spanish territory.

According to the Spanish government, the Civil Guard began installing the barrier at the Tarajal breakwater on Saturday morning. The inflatable structure, supported by a series of anchored buoys, rises between 30 and 70 centimetres above the water while extending up to one metre below the surface. Authorities have also included a navigable opening to allow Civil Guard patrol boats to pass through.

Spanish officials said at least 67 bodies have been recovered on the Spanish side of the border. Many of the victims reportedly drowned or died while attempting to climb the breakwater and the border fence.

Authorities said many migrants were driven by economic hardship, while rumours circulating on social media also encouraged large numbers to attempt the crossing.

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