It all started with Instagram posts suggesting that Spain's border with Morocco was opening up. Then came Facebook users tracking coastguard patrols and TikTok videos showing where to swim. After numerous posts and comments, thousands of Moroccans became convinced that Europe was suddenly within reach.
Within hours, young people began heading for the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa. Packed buses were arriving in the neighbouring Moroccan city of Fnideq. Commuter trains filled up. So did taxis.
By the time the authorities reacted, an estimated 60,000 people had reached Ceuta in just a few days, the largest migration wave between Morocco and Spain in years. More than 80 migrants died on both sides of the border, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a crush, according to the authorities.
Almost all of the surviving migrants soon returned, but the consequences of last week's events will endure.
Rumours began on social media
