57 migrants die in mass crossing from Morocco

50,000 crossed into Spanish territory of Ceuta

CEUTA:

CEUTA, Spain/ FNIDEQ, Morocco

Spain said on Friday it had reversed a huge rush of migrants into a Spanish enclave in North Africa, with most of the more than 50,000 people who had crossed the border by land and sea already heading back voluntarily.

The Spanish government's representative in Ceuta said 57 bodies had been recovered on the Spanish side of the border and that there could be additional casualties on the Moroccan side. It said some drowned and some were crushed while trying to climb the breakwater that holds the border fence.

Spain's Interior Ministry said around 50,000 people had crossed the border since Thursday morning, and estimated that 48,300 had returned by 6pm (1600 GMT) on Friday. Juan Jesus Vivas, head of Ceuta's local government, said as many as 60,000 people had pushed across over the past couple of days.

Moroccan forces beat back crowds with batons and tear gas at the gates to Ceuta, trying to prevent more from entering the tiny Spanish territory that juts on a spit of sandy land into the Mediterranean from Morocco.

The rush on the border caused division in Europe, where leaders of fellow EU states called for Spain to ensure that the incident was contained.

Italy said it was suspending the European Union's border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain, a measure set to affect people travelling by plane or boat between the two countries. Madrid said the move violated EU treaties.

Reuters at the enclave's border saw Moroccan police in riot gear using tear gas to disperse some of the people amassed near the fences. Water cannon trucks were deployed and the charred remains of a bus and seven cars could be seen from clashes with the crowds.