Families search for missing migrants as deaths rise near Ceuta crossing
Moroccan families gathered near the border with Ceuta seeking news of relatives who disappeared while trying to reach the Spanish enclave by sea, as the death toll from attempted crossings continues to climb.
Footage from Monday, July 3, showed families waiting beside barbed wire while security vehicles patrolled the area. Mohamed El Kandafi said his son left Tangier with a friend on Thursday and entered the sea, but has not been seen since, while returned migrant Osama Smalidine described harsh conditions in Ceuta, saying migrants lived on the streets, ate from rubbish containers and faced assaults.
Morocco’s Interior Ministry said 11 migrants had died attempting to reach Spanish territory, with media reports putting the toll at at least 71. Authorities linked the surge in crossings to misleading information online and smuggling networks, as tens of thousands moved towards Ceuta, prompting a large security operation, a state of emergency in the enclave and political tensions between Spain and other European Union countries.
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