Ceuta migrant crisis: 67 dead as Spain says most migrants return to Morocco

Most of the up to 60,000 migrants who entered Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco have now returned, while at least 67 people died during the latest surge in crossings, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska said on Saturday.

The migrants crossed into Ceuta in large numbers, with many reportedly swimming around a small frontier post extending into the Mediterranean Sea. By Saturday, authorities said the situation had largely returned to normal as most of those who entered the enclave went back to Morocco.

"Almost all of them have already left Ceuta," the minister said when asked about the tens of thousands of migrants who had crossed into the enclave. "The situation has been almost entirely reversed."

Sanchez blames traffickers

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez blamed people traffickers for the sudden influx. He said trafficking groups had spread rumours about a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that irregular migrants arriving by sea could not be immediately returned.

"What has emerged from our talks with Moroccan authorities is that trafficking mafias took a self-serving interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling," he said. That interpretation "spread like wildfire in recent hours."

Spain's Supreme Court issued the ruling on July 8. It stated that the immediate return of migrants without an administrative expulsion procedure does not apply to those who arrive by sea.

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Why migrants returned

Many migrants later chose to return voluntarily after finding that Ceuta lacked sufficient food and shelter for the sudden influx. One young man from Tangier said he had gone without food for more than 24 hours, while some others claimed that the Spanish army had forcibly removed them.

Many migrants had crossed hoping to find better employment, but they encountered chaos and realised that the overwhelmed city could not offer immediate job opportunities.

EU seeks urgent talks; France rejects Schengen exit

The sudden influx of tens of thousands of people into Ceuta also raised concerns across the European Union. Leaders from 22 of the bloc's 27 member states called for urgent talks among EU interior ministers to coordinate a response and prevent further uncontrolled crossings.

In an open letter, the leaders called for a swift and coordinated response to the situation.

"We have a duty to deter and relentlessly combat illegal migration effectively," it said.

France, meanwhile, ruled out seeking Spain's suspension from the Schengen zone, a set of laws that allows free movement across the 29-nation bloc, following the mass crossings into Ceuta. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said there was no such proposal under consideration and stressed the cooperation between the two countries.

"Spain does not need to leave the Schengen zone. It's absolutely not on the table. We have great cooperation with Spain," he told reporters.

Nunez made the remarks a day after Italy announced a one-month suspension of its Schengen agreement with Spain, which allows visa-free movement across their borders. "We are not asking for Spain's suspension from Schengen," he added.

France has also increased controls along its southern border with Spain, Nunez said.