Ceuta converts former military hospital into macro morgue after migrant boat disaster

A massive migrant crossing attempt off Ceuta resulted in the worst recent migration tragedy in Spain. Official figures confirm at least 72 deaths, with some sources estimating up to 100 or more bodies recovered from the sea. The surge overwhelmed local forensic services, prompting the Government of Ceuta to repurpose the disused former Military Hospital as a large‑scale morgue. The Institute of Legal Medicine (IML) now operates the facility, adding extra refrigeration chambers to store the corpses. Volunteers from the Spanish Red Cross and other agencies assist in retrieving bodies from the water and transporting them to the morgue.

The rapid conversion reflects the unprecedented scale of the loss, with the city’s emergency and health infrastructure stretched beyond capacity. Authorities continue to coordinate autopsies and identification efforts while managing the humanitarian fallout of the tragedy.