MADRID, July 30 (Reuters) – Thousands of migrants were crossing into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta on foot after jumping over the border fence separating the city from Morocco, Spanish state news agency EFE reported on Thursday.
According to EFE, hundreds of youths could be seen scaling the security fencing – which was not being guarded by police at the time – and entered Ceuta, while members of the Moroccan auxiliary force responsible for security on the ground withdrew as the young people passed.
Footage seen by Reuters showed some of the migrants shouting “Long live Spain” as they entered the territory.
The mass crossing coincided with the arrival of more than 1,500 migrants swimming into the city over the past week, according to regional authorities.
Ceuta, together with Melilla – another Spanish autonomous city located in North Africa – represents the European Union’s only land border with Africa. Both cities periodically experience surges in attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe.
Earlier on Thursday, Ceuta leader Juan Jesus Vivas had urged the national government to declare an emergency over the mass arrivals.
(Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Emma Pinedo and Alex Richardson)
