Spain installs floating barrier in Ceuta after migrant surge

Spanish authorities have begun installing a floating barrier along the Tarajal breakwater in Ceuta following a large-scale influx of migrants from Morocco, according to El País.

Work on the structure started at 07:50 local time, the report said. The central component is a 500-metre inflatable barrier designed to impede access by sea. Its above-water section rises between 30 and 70 centimetres, while the submerged portion extends to a depth of up to one metre. The system will also include a line of buoys supplied by the Spanish Navy.

The move follows a surge on July 30, when thousands of migrants reached Ceuta either by swimming or on foot, skirting the breakwater that separates the enclave from Morocco.

Estimates of the influx vary. Local authorities said around 60,000 migrants entered the area, while Spain’s Interior Ministry reported 50,000 arrivals. EFE, citing security sources, said approximately 69,500 migrants had returned to Morocco over the past 30 hours.

The figure may include individuals who arrived before the July 30 surge, as well as those who crossed the border multiple times within a single day.

At least 67 people died attempting to reach the territory, highlighting the dangers associated with the crossing.

By Tamilla Hasanova