The humanitarian and political crisis in the Spanish North African semi-exclave of Ceuta has reached dramatic proportions.
As of 18:30 Bulgarian time on August 2, local authorities in the autonomous city confirmed that the total number of bodies found in the city's morgue had reached 88. The data was announced by the president of the local government of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, in an interview with the Spanish daily El Pais, with the figure including both victims of the mass invasion in recent days and bodies found in smaller attempts to cross over the past two weeks. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams and Moroccan authorities continue to pull bodies from the sea.
The scale of the unprecedented assault
The crisis erupted in midweek when, in less than three days, between 50,000 and 60,000 migrants - mostly young men from Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa - stormed Ceuta's land fence and sea borders. This represents nearly 70% of the total population of the Spanish enclave.
Most of those who died drowned while trying to get around the breakwaters on the beaches of Tarajal and Benzu using makeshift belts and tires, while others were crushed or fell fatally while crossing the high border structures.
The representative of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior in Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez Triano, told foreign media, including the German news agency DPA and Reuters, that the situation in the city was gradually returning to normal after the large-scale expulsion operation. To date, more than 48,000 of those who crossed have already been returned to Moroccan territory.
Diplomatic tension and chain reaction in Europe
The incident caused serious political turmoil within the European Union itself. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has described the situation as a "violation of the territorial integrity of Spain" and has accused criminal networks of human trafficking. According to analysts quoted in Spanish media, the storm was provoked by a recent ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court that limits the immediate return ("hot returns") of migrants intercepted at sea.
In response to the unprecedented situation, Italy has taken a radical decision and suspended the Schengen arrangements with Spain for a period of one month, reinstating checks at airports and ports for arrivals from the Iberian country. The move has been criticized by Madrid as "selfish and polarizing".
Meanwhile, at the initiative of 22 EU countries (including Bulgaria), which sent an open letter to European leaders, Ireland – in its capacity as the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU – officially called an extraordinary meeting of justice and home affairs ministers for Tuesday, August 4, 2026, to coordinate a common European response to the crisis.
Border security measures
To contain the migration flow, the Spanish authorities have deployed additional military units, as well as over 3,000 Civil Guard and National Police officers. The urgent installation of a new 500-meter-long floating barrier in the sea along the maritime border has also begun in order to prevent new mass crossings.