At least 57 people have died and up to 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in a sudden mass border breach triggered by social media rumours of an open crossing. Ceuta's regional president Juan Jesús Vivas declared an absolute humanitarian and social emergency in the territory of 80,000 residents.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who visited Ceuta on Friday, called the breach a violation of Spain's territorial integrity and blamed smuggling mafias. The government deployed 60 troops to reinforce border forces. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares stated that the vast majority of those who entered have already returned to Morocco.
The crisis reverberated across Europe. Italy suspended Schengen free-travel arrangements with Spain by sea and air, while Germany announced extended border controls. Spain's Supreme Court meanwhile ruled that migrants intercepted at sea cannot be returned to Morocco, barring pushbacks at the border.