Morocco: Stampede kills 18 migrants.
Morocco's official news agency MAP reported that at least 18 people were killed in a stampede when more than 2,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa attempted to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Melilla on June 24.
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Migrants attempt to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Melilla, near Nador, on March 4, 2022. Photo: AFP/VNA |
Earlier reports indicated that five migrants were killed and 76 migrants and 140 Moroccan security personnel were injured, but the death toll later rose to 18 after 13 seriously injured migrants died in hospital. The migrants had attempted to breach the fence separating Morocco from the Melilla territory, forcing Moroccan authorities to intervene, leading to the stampede.
According to Spanish authorities, 46 Spanish police officers were also injured in the incident. Most of the migrants attempting to cross the border were stopped and forced to turn back; only 130 migrants managed to break through the fence and enter Spanish territory.
Over the years, despite strict controls from guard posts, surveillance cameras, and barbed wire fences, thousands of illegal immigrants have managed to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish territories of Melilla and Ceuta in North Africa, by climbing over fences, swimming along the coast, or hiding in cars.
This is the first time illegal migrants have attempted to cross the border from Morocco into Spain since the two countries mended diplomatic relations last March.
According to statistics from early 2022, the number of migrants to the two Spanish territories tripled compared to the same period in 2021.