MADRID, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Around 60,000 migrants are estimated to have entered Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco over the past 24 hours, while 34 people have died attempting the crossing, local media reported on Friday.
Ceuta government officials told reporters that preliminary estimates put the number of people who entered Ceuta from Morocco over the past 24 hours at around 60,000, including at least 7,000 minors. The latest arrivals amount to more than 70 percent of the enclave's registered population of about 83,600.
The influx far exceeds that recorded during Ceuta's previous major migration crisis in May 2021, when more than 10,000 migrants were estimated to have crossed the border irregularly. Large numbers of migrants have been wandering through Ceuta's streets since Thursday, with many spending the night outdoors, while crossings from neighboring Morocco continue.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived in Ceuta on Friday. Authorities said they would seek to return those who entered irregularly as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, hundreds of migrants have returned to Morocco through the breakwater at the border.
In the other Spanish North African enclave of Melilla, the regional government said between 300 and 400 people crossed in from Morocco overnight.
The influx has also triggered diplomatic tensions between Spain and Italy. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for the suspension of Schengen arrangements with Spain, while Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares rejected Tajani's remarks as "partisan demagoguery" and said he would summon the Italian ambassador in Madrid on Friday.
France, meanwhile, ordered the immediate reinforcement of checks along its border with Spain and activated a rapid-response border unit to conduct more extensive inspections. ■