‘Total emergency’ declared as THOUSANDS of migrants storm EU border at Spanish enclave sparking plea for army deployment

THOUSANDS of migrants have overwhelmed border guards and stormed a Spanish enclave sparking a “total humanitarian and social emergency”. At least 60 migrants have died in the recent chaos as footage shows huge crowds sprinting along beaches and out onto the streets as they made it past the EU border into Ceuta in northern Africa. Thousands of migrants overwhelmed border guards and stormed a Spanish enclave sparking a ‘total humanitarian and social emergency’ Credit: X/visegrad24 Men, women and children all broke across the border separating Morocco from the Spanish enclave Footage shows huge crowds sprinting along beaches and out onto the streets Credit: X/visegrad24 People swarmed onto the beaches Credit: X/visegrad24 Authorities in Ceuta have also asked the government in Madrid to declare a national emergency as they requested the army‘s help. The President of Ceuta, Juan Jesus Vivas, was quick to declare a total humanitarian and social emergency in response. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! He said: “In the past few days more than 1,500 migrants, both adults and minors, have come to Ceuta by sea. “The reception centres are saturated – there is no more room for anyone in them and according to yesterday’s figures the number of people entering is more than 200 a day.” Videos from Tarajal beach show crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, rushing across the sand attempting to make it to the road. The majority are young men but several whole families, including young children, can also be seen. They had managed to jump over the border fence separating the city from Morocco, according to Spanish state news agency EFE. Some could be heard chanting “Viva Espana!” – Long Live Spain – as they walked past. Most read in The Sun The migrants ran out onto the streets Officials look on as migrants try to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco Credit: AP Spain’s interior ministry said several ministries are ‘acting in coordination to respond with the utmost speed’ Credit: X/visegrad24 Ceuta sits between Morocco and Spain at the northwestern tip of Africa. Along with Spanish autonomous city Melilla, it is the European Union‘s only land border with Africa. Spain’s interior ministry said several ministries are “acting in coordination to respond with the utmost speed and efficiency to the situation in Ceuta”. The Moroccan government also promised it would work “faithfully and permanently with Spain” in regards to the ongoing crisis. They said: “Moroccan security forces are preventing the arrival of numerous people who are trying to reach Ceuta from Morocco.” Vivas said 60 bodies had been recovered at sea in recent months with several washing up to shore in Ceuta. He has warned the humanitarian crisis will only worsen while migrant centers are so full as hundreds of people will be forced to sleep on the streets. He added that housing units for minors were now operating at 2,400 per cent capacity. It comes after Spain’s socialist government approved plans to hand 500,000 undocumented migrants legal status earlier this year. Thousands of Moroccans have been taking advantage of relaxed border controls in their nation to swim or paddle in inflatable boats onto European soil in recent years. Back in 2021, 8,000 migrants swam from Morocco into Ceuta over a few days. The arrivals also included the largest ever number of migrants in a single day thought to be 6,000. Ceuta residents had locked themselves indoors as the army rounded up migrants fleeing Morocco, La Vanguardia reported. Hundreds of migrants risk injuries or even death every year while trying to jump over fences, hide inside vehicles or by swimming around breakwaters that extend into the Mediterranean Sea.