At least 43 migrants die as 49,000 cross into Spain’s Ceuta enclave

At least 43 migrants have died during a massive and chaotic attempt to enter Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco, as tens of thousands of people crossed the border by land and sea.

Spanish authorities estimated that about 49,000 migrants entered Ceuta within 24 hours, creating an unprecedented pressure on the enclave’s security agencies, emergency services and reception facilities. The scale of the influx was significant for a territory with a population of about 80,000 people. (reuters.com)

Many of those attempting to reach Ceuta reportedly entered through coastal routes, with some swimming around border barriers from the Moroccan side. Others moved towards land crossings and border fences separating the Spanish territory from Morocco.

The large movement included men, women, children and families, according to reports from the area.

Authorities said several people died during the dangerous crossings, while emergency teams carried out rescue and recovery operations along the coastline.

The reported death toll has increased from the initial figure of 18 as authorities continued to assess the situation and recover bodies. The number may be subject to further updates as rescue and identification operations continue. (The Guardian)

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Spanish and Moroccan authorities moved to contain the situation by reinforcing security around the border and coordinating efforts to prevent additional large-scale crossings.

Spain deployed additional security personnel to support the Civil Guard, while military units and armoured vehicles were positioned in areas around the border.

The Spanish government said it had regained control of the situation, with many of those who crossed into Ceuta returning to Morocco as authorities worked to restore normal movement around the enclave. (reuters.com)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the mass crossing as a serious challenge and called for coordinated action to protect the border while addressing the humanitarian consequences of the crisis.

The development has also drawn attention from European leaders, with concerns raised over border security, migration management and the safety of people attempting dangerous crossings. (The Guardian)

The cause of the sudden surge remains unclear.

Authorities are expected to examine whether misinformation, organised migration networks, economic pressures or other factors contributed to the unusually large movement towards Ceuta.

The crisis comes after Ceuta experienced increased migration pressure in the weeks leading up to the mass crossing. Spanish authorities had earlier reported a rise in the number of people attempting to enter the enclave by swimming from Morocco. (El País)

Ceuta and the nearby Spanish enclave of Melilla are located on the northern coast of Africa and share land borders with Morocco.

The two territories are among the main routes used by migrants seeking to enter Spain and, by extension, the European Union.

Migration attempts through the area have frequently resulted in deaths and injuries because of strong currents, difficult sea conditions, border barriers and overcrowding during large movements.

The latest incident has renewed calls for stronger cooperation between Spain and Morocco, improved border management and safer measures to protect people undertaking dangerous migration journeys.

Humanitarian groups have also stressed the need to ensure that people in vulnerable situations, including children and families, receive emergency assistance and access to appropriate protection.

Authorities are expected to provide further updates on the number of deaths, injuries, missing persons and people who remain in Ceuta as emergency and border-control operations continue.

At least 43 migrants die as 49,000 cross into Spain’s Ceuta enclave

166,000 Evacuated as Unprecedented Wildfires Rage Across France, Spain

More than 166,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and holiday destinations as unprecedented wildfires, fueled by extreme heat, drought, and strong winds, continue to ravage vast areas across France and Spain. The blazes have threatened major cities, including Bordeaux and Madrid, destroyed hundreds of homes, and prompted the deployment of military personnel and European Union emergency assistance. French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered the army to mobilise in response to what officials have described as the worst wildfire France has ever seen, while Spanish authorities have declared a national emergency for only the second time in the country’s history as flames approach the capital, Madrid.

In southwestern France, more than 141,000 people have been evacuated as wildfires tear through the Gironde and Landes regions. The Gironde blaze, described by local prefect Sophie Brocas as an “XXL fire”, has burned through more than 19,000 hectares of forest and destroyed approximately 80 homes. Around 44,000 people fled the up-market Cap Ferret peninsula south of Bordeaux, where the only road was threatened by flames. Hundreds were evacuated by boat, while others drove off the peninsula, known for its millionaire residences. More than 50 houses there have been destroyed. Authorities ordered the evacuation of towns near Bordeaux “as a precaution” against the approaching inferno, while traffic information website Bison Futé urged drivers to avoid roads in the area to free up access for emergency services.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the country had never before seen such fires on this scale and pledged to “do everything” to protect Bordeaux. “We are going to reorganise our response so we can fight it from the ground and prevent it from advancing toward Bordeaux,” Nunez told French broadcaster TF1, warning that the fire was “self-sustaining” and changing direction. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called a crisis meeting of key ministers late Friday and said a total of 1,000 military personnel would be deployed to confront the flames. In addition, “1.5 million FFP2 masks will be delivered as of tonight to Gironde in order to protect the personnel involved and the populations exposed to smoke that is harmful to health,” he said on X. About 40 of the 1,000 firefighters battling the Cap Ferret blaze have been injured, authorities confirmed. Three firefighters have died in wildfires in France and Italy this week.

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The situation in Spain is equally dire, with at least 25,000 people evacuated in the Madrid region and another 40,000 told to lock themselves indoors. Spain’s government has declared a national emergency for only the second time in the country’s history, allowing the central government to assume overall command and coordinate national and regional emergency resources. Carlos Novillo, the Madrid regional government’s emergency management chief, said the wildfire near the capital was “at its peak and is currently beyond the capacity of firefighters to contain”. “It’s not possible to attack the fire in that area, so defensive measures are being taken,” he added.

Two of the three major wildfires west of Madrid have merged into one, threatening suburban towns. The fire is heading towards Navas del Rey, around 50 kilometres from the capital, and officials fear the blaze could combine with another wildfire in the neighbouring Castilla y Leon region, creating an even larger catastrophe. Madrid’s regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso described it as the “worst fire in the history of the region”, with the area facing a “perfect storm” of high temperatures, relentless wind, and merging fire fronts. The Military Emergency Unit has been mobilised to try to halt the advance of the flames, with its main focus protecting areas near the town of El Escorial. “The smoke was incredibly thick,” Jose Cobos, who fled his home southwest of Madrid with his wife and three dogs, told Antena 3 television. “You couldn’t breathe.” In the village of Chapinería, 33-year-old Joaquin Espinosa told The Associated Press: “All around the town was smoke and fire, I was scared. Everything was fire and smoke, people were nervous.”

Madrid and Paris have called in EU emergency assistance as flames whipped up by strong winds and drought tore through tinder-dry forests. Following appeals for assistance, the European Commission said it was sending four water-bombing planes to Spain and three to France. Macron said France would receive reinforcements including two Croatian Canadair firefighting aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, and two heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said Italy and Greece are each sending two Canadair water-dumping aeroplanes. Emergency shelters were set up in schools and gymnasiums in southwestern France for tourists and residents left wondering what they would return to. In the village of Andernos, Maria Lalanne, a 90-year-old from Lege Cap Ferret, sat on a camp bed in a gym without her glasses or hearing aid, which she had left behind. “I have heart disease, high blood pressure and problems with my eyes,” she said. “I don’t know how long all this will last. I don’t know how my house is, whether it has burnt.”

Some European regions have suffered at least two heatwaves since May. Drought blamed on human-fuelled climate change has heightened the threat from wildfires this year, the World Weather Attribution group said in a study published this week. Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer, with Europe being the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for a pact between political parties to fight climate change, which he said is key to adapting to a more fire-prone climate. So far this year, 44,000 hectares have been burned in France, more than the average, Nunez said. In Spain, more than 1,140 square kilometres have already burned this year, more than five times the burned terrain through the first half of 2025. The unprecedented scale of these wildfires serves as a stark reminder of the growing impact of climate change on Europe’s fire seasons, with experts warning that such extreme events are likely to become more frequent and severe in the coming years.

166,000 Evacuated as Unprecedented Wildfires Rage Across France, Spain