Death Toll in Spain’s Ceuta Migrant Rush Reaches 77

The perilous journey from Morocco to Spain's enclave of Ceuta has resulted in the deaths of at least 77 migrants, officials confirmed Tuesday. The grim toll, an increase from previous reports, highlights the extreme dangers faced by those seeking to reach European shores.

Many of the deceased drowned while attempting to circumvent a barrier in the Mediterranean Sea, a desperate act that triggered a diplomatic crisis between Spain and its European Union partners. The surge in irregular entries from Morocco into Ceuta last week saw tens of thousands of migrants arrive.

Spanish legal bodies, including forensics and Civil Guard experts, recovered 79 bodies from the sea. However, two bodies were recovered prior to the main surge, bringing the official death toll to 77. Autopsies have been conducted on all 77 victims, and two individuals have been identified through existing fingerprints registered in Spain.

"To be able to identify the rest, the fingerprint data will have to be sent to Morocco for their possible recognition," stated a Spanish legal body. Morocco's interior ministry previously reported 11 deaths on its side of the border, primarily from drowning. Spanish authorities have since returned approximately 70,000 of the 72,000 migrants who reached Ceuta back to Morocco. Those remaining in Ceuta face dire living conditions with limited access to essential resources.

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To be able to identify the rest, the fingerprint data will have to be sent to Morocco for their possible recognition.