Migrant deaths attempting to swim to Ceuta reach 15

The number of migrants who died attempting to swim to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco has tragically climbed to fifteen. Spanish Civil Guard officers recovered six additional bodies late Thursday near the El Tarajal border crossing, a location that has seen intense migratory pressure.

The grim discovery followed an earlier find by the rescue vessel Salvamar Atria, which recovered the first body at sea early Thursday morning. Throughout the day, maritime units of the Guardia Civil located fourteen more lifeless individuals in the vicinity of the border, culminating in the tragic toll of fifteen deaths.

Authorities suspect the victims perished from drowning as they attempted to cross the southern breakwater of El Tarajal to reach Spanish shores. This latest incident dramatically worsens the mortality statistics for this maritime border. With these new victims, the total number of migrants found dead in Ceuta's waters this year has reached forty-five.

Alarmingly, more than half of these deaths, twenty-six individuals, occurred in July alone. This sharp increase highlights the escalating dangers associated with irregular crossings in recent weeks, as desperate individuals risk their lives in perilous attempts to reach Europe.