Madrid [Spain], August 3: Further bodies have been recovered from the sea off Ceuta following the influx of tens of thousands of migrants into the Spanish exclave in North Africa, bringing the total death toll to 72, the Spanish Interior Ministry's representative in Ceuta Miguel Ángel Perez Triano told journalists on Sunday.
Previously, 67 deaths had been officially confirmed. Emergency services are continuing to search the sea for possible further bodies.
Spanish state broadcaster RTVE reported on Friday that most of the dead had drowned while attempting to swim from Morocco to the exclave, citing the authorities.
Photos and TV footage showed numerous swimming rings and car tyres which people had used in their attempts to reach Ceuta from the Moroccan coastal town of Fnideq. Others had climbed over the border fence.
Official estimates suggest a total of 50,000 to 60,000 people had entered the exclave irregularly this week, mainly on Wednesday and Thursday. The Spanish government says almost all of them have since returned to Morocco. RTVE reported that several hundred new arrivals remained in Ceuta at the weekend.
Source: Qatar Tribune
