Madrid: At least 67 people died in the recent surge in migrant crossing from Morocco to Spain’s north African enclave Ceuta, Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters on Saturday. Most of the migrants had returned by Saturday back to Morocco after tens of thousands crossed over the border, most by swimming around the small frontier post that juts into the Mediterranean Sea.

Local media previously reported that more than 1,500 migrants reached Ceuta from Morocco over the past week

At least 18 migrants have died trying to reach the Spanish territory of Ceuta, where Spain has deployed its military after thousands breached the border with Morocco.