Dramatic footage from Ceuta shows thousands of migrants swimming from Morocco into the tiny Spanish territory as others force their way through overwhelmed border gates.
The videos show exhausted swimmers scrambling ashore and large crowds gathering along the coast. Spain’s interior ministry estimates that 49,000 migrants entered Ceuta by land and sea in just 24 hours—more than half the territory’s population of around 84,000.
At least 18 people died during the unprecedented influx. Spain deployed soldiers to help secure Ceuta, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised to “restore normalcy as soon as possible”.
The scenes have caused alarm across Europe. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described uncontrolled illegal immigration as a threat to European security and threatened to suspend passport-free travel with Spain.
