Ceuta‑Melilla migrant crisis leaves 141 dead and strains health services

The Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) announced that the death toll from recent mass‑migration attempts at the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla has risen to 141. The figure includes 75 bodies recovered by Spanish authorities and additional corpses identified by forensic institutes, bringing the total counted by Spain to 82. In the Moroccan city of Tétouan, the morgue holds 21 bodies – 11 Moroccan nationals and 10 foreigners – and the organization says the official Moroccan count of 11 deaths is outdated. Authorities in Morocco have placed 111 people in pre‑trial detention, with arrests reported in Tétouan (51 people, including five minors) and Nador (52 people, including 18 minors).

Health workers in Ceuta report severe overload as the influx overwhelms the single local hospital. The union Solidaridad criticised the National Health Management Institute (Ingesa) for a lack of planning, insufficient staffing and extended shifts without rest, describing the response as “nefarious”. The College of Doctors of Ceuta (COMCE) warned of heightened risk of communicable‑disease outbreaks due to crowding and inadequate sanitary conditions, calling for extraordinary medical resources. Both unions and the doctors’ association demand immediate reinforcement of the health system to cope with the ongoing humanitarian emergency.