Spain installs 500-metre floating barrier on Ceuta border after migrant deaths

BARCELONA, Spain — Spain has begun installing a 500-metre floating barrier off its North African enclave of Ceuta following a mass crossing attempt in which at least 67 people died, the government said. The inflatable barrier, being deployed by the Civil Guard in the Tarajal area, will rise 30 to 70 centimetres above the sea surface and extend up to one metre below it, according to the government statement. Gaps between sections will allow Civil Guard vessels to patrol the area. Officials said that since Thursday roughly 50,000 people entered Ceuta by land and sea, and that more than 48,000 of them had returned to Morocco within 48 hours. Spanish authorities reported recovering at least 67 bodies on the Spanish side after some migrants drowned and others failed to clear the existing wave barrier. The Spanish government said the new floating barrier is intended to reinforce border control on the Ceuta coast, where the Civil Guard continues to manage crossings between Morocco and Spanish territory.