FNIDEQ, Morocco (AP) — Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends gather along the Moroccan side of the border with the Spanish territory of Ceuta, scanning for familiar faces.Each returning migrant is met with the question: Have you seen my son? My daughter? My brother?Authorities say all but a few thousand of the 72,000 migrants who crossed into Ceuta in recent days have since returned to Morocco. Some families were relieved to welcome them home. Others were disappointed that the migration attempt failed.Other families still wait desperately for news.
Families hold up photos of the missingThe surge to Ceuta was largely driven by poverty and fueled by online rumors that the border was open, triggering a crisis resonating across Europe. More than 80 people died on both sides of the border, according to authorities, as people swam or climbed fences in the attempt.Nearly all of the migrants who survived were expelled by Spanish authorities or returned voluntarily after seeing they were unwelcome. Many of those who made it back borrowed phones from strangers to reassure anxious relatives because they had lost or abandoned their phones in the journey.
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