Spain installs floating barrier on Ceuta-Morocco border

Spanish authorities have installed a 500-meter floating barrier along the border between the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and Morocco, after a migration crisis began on July 30, when thousands of Moroccans attempted to reach Ceuta by swimming, using inflatable rings, and small boats.

The barrier has been placed near the Tarajal border breakwater, with installation work beginning on Aug. 1, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"The 500-meter barrier is an inflatable floating structure that rises 30 to 70 centimetres above the water's surface. Its submerged section extends one meter below the surface," an unnamed Spanish Civil Guard officer told reporters.

In addition, a line of seabed-anchored buoys provided by the Spanish Navy has been installed alongside the barrier. A navigation channel has been left between sections of the structure, the report said.

Around 50,000 people entered the Spanish enclave within a day and a half, while Ceuta's local authorities estimated the figure at nearly 60,000.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov