Key facts
- At least 141 people died in a mass migrant crossing into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta.
- Families are searching for missing loved ones along the Moroccan border.
- The surge was driven by poverty and rumors of an open border.
- Spanish authorities expelled or received voluntary returns from most migrants.
- An estimated 1,100 unaccompanied minors remain in Ceuta.
- Spain's Ceuta is seeking to transfer these minors to mainland Spain.
The death toll from a mass migrant crossing into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta has risen to 141, making it Morocco's deadliest migration disaster. Families are gathering along the Moroccan border with Ceuta, searching for missing loved ones after the surge, which was fueled by poverty and rumors of an open border. Spanish authorities expelled or received voluntary returns from most migrants. An estimated 1,100 unaccompanied minors remain in Ceuta, their reception centers struggling to cope. Ceuta's local government is seeking the transfer of these minors to mainland Spain, a process complicated by political disagreements between the conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox party, which opposes the transfers. The Spanish government has approved €25 million ($29 million) in funding for Ceuta to support the unaccompanied minors.