Reuters —
Spain and Morocco reinforced the border fence of a Spanish enclave on Friday and appeared to have halted mass crossings, after around 49,000 people arrived by sea and land in a single day, with at least 19 dead bodies found in the water.
The mass crossing into Ceuta, a Spanish-held spit jutting into the Mediterranean from Morocco, caused division in Europe, with Italy threatening to suspend the EU’s internal open border scheme.
At the gates into Ceuta, Moroccan authorities had deployed water cannon trucks and pushed people back. The charred remains of a bus and seven cars could be seen nearby from clashes with the crowds.
Spanish authorities said they would try to expel those who had entered illegally as quickly as possible, despite a court ruling that has put some new restrictions on special “border rejection” rules that allow immediate expulsions.
