Moroccan official says five migrants die trying to enter Spanish enclave
Five sub-Saharan African migrants died and 76 were injured in a mass attempt to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Melilla early on Friday, a Moroccan official said.
"Five deaths were recorded after they stormed the border and some fell from the top of the barrier" separating Moroccan and Spanish territory, the official from the border town of Nador told AFP.
He said 140 security personnel and 76 migrants were injured during the attempt to cross one of the European Union's only land borders on the African continent.
📹 #Spain- More than 2000 migrants tried to storm the border between Spain's Melilla and #Morocco on Friday.
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) June 24, 2022
📹 pic.twitter.com/cR4hEzStTh
A spokesperson for the Spanish government's office in Melilla said about 2,000 people attempted to enter but many were stopped by Spanish Civil Guard police and Moroccan forces on the other side of a border fence.
Migrants who managed to get over the crossing went to a local centre, where authorities were evaluating their circumstances.