Deaths were caused either by drowning while attempting to leave Morocco, or by crushing while trying to cross the land border.
On Tuesday, Walking Borders (Caminando Fronteras) said that 141 people died during the migration wave that has taken place in Ceuta since July 30. The NGO mentioned that 63 bodies were recovered in Moroccan territory and the remaining 78 in the Spanish city.
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Caminando Fronteras spokeswoman Helena Maleno explained that the data on the victims were compiled through the work of identifying bodies in the field and collaboration with the victims’ families and communities.
Regarding the cause of the deaths, the NGO said it did not have access to the autopsies, but it learned that the deaths were caused either by drowning while attempting to leave Morocco and reach Ceuta by swimming, or by crushing while trying to cross the land border into Spain.
Maleno explained that Spain activated, for the first time at the border, the “Protocol for Responding to Incidents Involving Multiple Victims.” The implementation of this protocol is “good news” because it means more resources, but also because it represents “recognition of the rights of the families.”
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Tens of thousands of men, almost all young and fit, are swimming and running from Morocco to Ceuta within a few hours. 50,000, maybe 60,000. The police and Guardia Civil are completely overwhelmed, and the military… pic.twitter.com/vvYDQQ3Qof
— Boma John (@euroboma) August 1, 2026
Currently, many Moroccan families cannot travel to Ceuta to identify the bodies, Maleno said, recommending that consulates cooperate to facilitate this work. “Many of the victims will likely be buried without their relatives being able to decide how they will be buried. Unfortunately, that is something that is constantly repeated at the borders,” she said.
As for the missing people, many families are searching for their loved ones. For that purpose, Spain’s Civil Guard has made an email address available. Analyzing what happened in Ceuta, Maleno said migrants have been used as “bargaining chips” to justify certain policies and actions.
“Children, babies, sick people and older adults have been instrumentalized and turned into a tool of border control policy,” she said, emphasizing that the underlying objective is for companies dedicated to border securitization to make more money.
In her opinion, the narrative about the presence of mafias “is no longer valid” to explain the crisis. She said the Ceuta events are better understood by focusing on states, their policies and their alliances with lobbies, companies and other countries such as the United States and Israel, whose geopolitical interests in the region are evident.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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