19 dead as almost 50,000 migrants enter Spanish enclave from Morocco

Spain has deployed its military to restore order at its border with Morocco in Ceuta after an alleged 49,000 migrants poured into the tiny Spanish territory, with at least 19 dying in the attempt.

The move comes after local authorities in Ceuta had asked the central government in Madrid for reinforcements to manage a border crisis that had been escalating before boiling over on Thursday, with large crowds breaching the border fence.

Spain's government said it would send the armed forces to help the Civil Guard "to maintain security in the city of Ceuta".

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is expected to join interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in a visit to Ceuta on Friday.

Spain's government delegation in Ceuta initially said at least nine people died on Thursday during the surge, adding to a total of 60 migrants who have died trying to cross into the enclave in recent months.

In an update on Friday, a Spanish interior ministry spokesperson confirmed the number had risen to 19.

The ministry said according to its estimates some "49,000" migrants crossed into Ceuta over the past 24 hours.

Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain's Civil Guard officers who police the border in Ceuta, described the situation as a "serious humanitarian crisis".

He added: "People are still entering. The reinforcements that have arrived are only helping the injured and other humanitarian efforts."

Without shelter, thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and sidewalks, with others roaming the streets aimlessly.

Mr Sbihi added: "It's chaotic."

Among the 19 who died, Mr Sbihi said many drowned but some were also killed in the stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach.

Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, said the situation was ''exceptional".

"The Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed," he said.

Territorial policy minister Angel Victor Torres said on Friday that among factors contributing to the surge may have been a ruling by Spain's Supreme Court earlier this month that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned under special rules.

Mr Torres told a local radio station the Spanish government had reacted immediately to the surge and would proceed to eventually return the migrants, while respecting court rulings and migrants' rights.

Spain's interior ministry said earlier it would guarantee the safety of citizens and the integrity of the nation's border, but that the government could not declare a national emergency - as local authorities had asked - over migration concerns.

Ceuta is located on the northern tip of Morocco, at the point where the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea meet in the western Mediterranean.

Video showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach onto local roads in the Spanish North African enclave, along with pictures of migrants celebrating their safe arrival.

While the majority appeared to be young men, there were also families with women and children. "Viva Espana!", some shouted, according to a freelance photographer working for The Associated Press.

Around 1,500 migrants reached the city by swimming across from Morocco ​over the past week, according to the head of Ceuta's regional government, Juan Jesus Vivas.

The scenes of people pushing across the frontier are reminiscent of the border crisis of May 2021 when more than 8,000 migrants streamed into Ceuta in just two days.

The recent influx had overwhelmed the city's ⁠reception system and left hundreds of migrants sleeping outside, Mr Vivas told local radio stations Cadena SER and Onda Cero.

"We are facing a situation ​of absolute humanitarian and social emergency," he said, warning that facilities for ​unaccompanied minors were operating at 2,400% capacity.

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Mr Vivas called for the national government to declare a national emergency on grounds of national security, asking for more police and for the army to be deployed "to guarantee the inviolability of the frontier and citizen safety".

Spain's interior ministry said the Moroccan government was "closely cooperating" with Spain to handle the situation, saying Moroccan police were stopping "numerous people" who were trying to cross the border.

The chaos had ripple effects in Italy, another key destination for migrants.

Premier Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend Italy's open-border Shengen agreement with Spain "to defend our borders and ensure the safety of our citizens", though Italy doesn't share a border in Spain.

Italy's deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani said in a post on X: "I support the closure of the Schengen Area with Spain and have full confidence in Minister Piantedosi's actions.

"Irregular and uncontrolled immigration poses a threat to national security. The images emerging from Ceuta demonstrate how the Madrid government's decision to grant Spanish, and therefore European, citizenship to over 500,000 irregular immigrants is profoundly flawed and encourages human trafficking."

(c) Sky News 2026: 19 dead as almost 50,000 migrants enter Spanish enclave from Morocco