Spanish officials have said at least 72 people died during the recent mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco, while Moroccan authorities have reported a significantly lower death toll.
“The latest figure that we have is 72,” the government’s delegate to Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez Triano, told reporters when asked about the number of fatalities.
The previous toll stood at 67.
Later on Sunday, Morocco’s Interior Ministry said 11 people had died while trying to reach Ceuta, adding that 10 drowned and one fell from a rocky area.
Most of the estimated 60,000 people who crossed into the North African enclave, many by swimming, have since returned to Morocco following the territory’s largest recorded migrant crossing.
Diplomatic friction
Spanish police and troops continued patrolling the streets of Ceuta as the enclave largely returned to normal after the influx between Wednesday and Friday.
