Spain Installs Floating Border Barrier After Deadly Ceuta Migrant Surge

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

Spanish authorities said illegal migrant crossings into the North African enclave came to a halt overnight after police and the Civil Guard began deploying the floating barrier on Saturday along the maritime border with Morocco.

The development follows an unprecedented migration surge that saw about 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.

Spanish authorities said more than 48,000 migrants were returned to Morocco within 48 hours as part of efforts to restore order at the border.

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

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The Spanish government said the Civil Guard started installing the barrier at the Tarajal breakwater on Saturday. The inflatable structure, supported by anchored buoys, extends between 30 and 70 centimetres above the water and reaches up to one metre below the surface. It also features a navigable opening to allow Civil Guard patrol vessels to pass through.

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

Authorities attributed the surge to worsening economic conditions facing many migrants, while also blaming false information circulated on social media that encouraged thousands to attempt the dangerous crossing.