Spain struggles to identify 80 migrants killed after mass Ceuta crossing

Spanish authorities are facing a significant challenge in identifying the bodies of 80 migrants who perished during a mass crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The influx, which saw an estimated 72,000 people enter Ceuta from Morocco in a 24-hour period, overwhelmed local resources.

Forensic teams in Ceuta have been inundated with the task of identifying the deceased. Extra staff have been brought in from the mainland, and a larger morgue has been established at a former military hospital. Despite these measures, only a handful of the 80 bodies have been identified through fingerprints or DNA samples. Officials are working to connect the remaining bodies with names and then with relatives, but the process is slow.

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We have faced such a number of victims that it has overwhelmed our operational capacities.

Desperate families are anxiously waiting for news, posting messages on social media and keeping close to their phones. Jamal Bahloul, for instance, has not heard from his 22-year-old brother, Mohamed, since July 30, and does not know if he is alive or among the deceased in Ceuta. Relatives are gathering at the Moroccan side of the border, pressing officials for answers and visiting local morgues.

Autopsies revealed that many of the migrants died from cardiopulmonary arrests, a common cause of death in drowning incidents. The scale of the tragedy has strained Ceuta's forensic capabilities, which typically handle a much smaller number of deaths annually. The Spanish police have shared fingerprints of the deceased with Moroccan authorities and opened an office by the border for relatives to file missing persons reports and provide DNA samples.

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We have heard nothing more. We don't know whether he is in Ceuta or he died.