When Fatima Zahra heard the rumour of a rare border opening between Morocco and Spain, she joined thousands in rushing to attempt a perilous journey into the Ceuta enclave by land or sea.

Juan Jesús Vivas, head of the Ceuta regional government, called for the national government in Madrid to declare a national emergency on grounds of national security.

Authorities in Ceuta asked the government in Madrid to declare a national emergency and requested army intervention, as thousands crossed into the tiny Spanish territory.