Spain said on Friday (July 31) it had reversed a huge rush of migrants into a Spanish enclave in North Africa, with most of the more than 50,000 people who had crossed the border by land and sea already heading back voluntarily. The Spanish government's representative in Ceuta said 57 bodies had been recovered on the Spanish side of the border and that there could be additional casualties on the Moroccan side. It said some drowned and some were crushed while trying to climb the breakwater that holds the border fence.

The Spanish government's delegation in the enclave told AFP that the bodies of nine migrants who died while trying to reach Ceuta by swimming had been recovered.

The mass crossing into Ceuta caused division in Europe, with Italy threatening to suspend the EU’s internal open border scheme.

Madrid angry at court ruling blocking immediate return of people arriving by sea

At least 41 people died during the crossing, according to local reports