Photo credit: The Hill
Hundreds of migrants are swimming from Morocco to the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta at the country’s northern tip, overwhelming border security, local authorities said Wednesday.
The Canadian Press reports that while good weather usually brings a surge in migrant crossings by sea in the summer, Ceuta authorities said the current number of swimmers is unusual.
The leader of Ceuta’s government, Juan Jesus Vivas, said migrants previously died in the attempt, with 60 bodies being spotted at sea in the last year.
Spain’s interior ministry, which oversees borders and tracks irregular migration, would not confirm the number of crossings or say how many migrants had reached the territory by swimming. It referred journalists to its bimonthly migration report, with the next issue expected on Aug. 3.
