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outlines of a dealDeath toll in Ceuta rises to 67 as EU convenes emergency meetingWHO says Congo's Ebola response is falling behind the outbreakLithuania summons Russian envoy after Kyiv barrage damages embassy112 bodies recovered from Gaza's Sabra district after two-week searchProjectile hits LNG tanker at entrance to Strait of HormuzIsraeli strikes kill at least eight in Gaza as disarmament roadmap stallsKuwait says Iranian drones struck government facilityWashington and Silicon Valley split over cheap Chinese AI modelsHungary shuts its only nuclear plant as Danube falls to record lowHamas says it has met its ceasefire obligations as UAE backs disarmament dealOpenAI widens probe after new agent containment breachesOil stays elevated as Hormuz tanker traffic faltersWildfires and extreme heat grip southern EuropeUS embassies urge Americans to consider leaving the Middle EastJapan ends rescue at quake-hit mall as heat compounds disasterIran warns Gulf states and threatens retaliation over HormuzTehran condemns US-Saudi strike on militia positions in IraqIsraeli military says it killed Hezbollah fighters in south LebanonUS order pushes arms makers to drop Chinese rare earthsChina stages drills and issues new rules at Scarborough ShoalAnalysis indicates US bomb killed three civilians on QeshmMichigan reports cyberattacks on water systems after FBI warningWarnings of sharp food price rises as heat and war squeeze grain suppliesFighting flares in western Tigray as Ethiopia and TPLF trade blameEU calls emergency ministers' meeting on Ceuta as Sánchez attacks partnersJapan and US act jointly to halt the yen's slideIsraeli raids and settler attacks surge across the West BankEU labelling rule for AI-generated content takes effectChina tests JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missileBomb kills three at Moscow restaurantRosatom vessel sinks in Black Sea after Ukrainian drone attackIndia-China trade resumes at Shipki La pass after six yearsTruck bomb at Cúcuta police station wounds at least 11Sightseeing plane crashes near Peru's Nazca Lines, killing 13AIDS conference in Rio centres on missing aid moneyRubio says US will test prospects for resuming Ukraine talksNew Zealand seals third Pacific defence pact in under four monthsTech stocks tumble on spending worriesUS-backed democracy talks sideline Venezuela's opposition leaderBDI warns of a 'China shock 2.0' hitting German industryInfantino under pressure after scrapping World Cup sell-off planTunisians protest as heatwave strains the power gridAnalyst says China has a way to answer US sanctions billChina releases footage of Type 076 assault ship catapult testAttack in Indian-administered Kashmir kills oneChina says it will fight new US import banNicaragua reform extends presidential terms and curbs oppositionUS agents detain migrants at airports under new federal ruleWarsh's silence leaves stock and bond traders braced
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Symbolic image: Death toll in Ceuta rises to 67 as EU convenes emergency meetingSymbolic image

Death toll in Ceuta rises to 67 as EU convenes emergency meeting

17 sources

The number of people who drowned trying to reach Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta has risen to 67. EU interior ministers will meet in an extraordinary session on Tuesday.

What happened

  • Some 50,000 people, mostly young Moroccans, entered Ceuta on Thursday, 30 July; the enclave has 84,000 residents.
  • Spain's interior minister put the number of drowned at 67 at a press conference on Saturday.
  • More than 48,000 went back to Morocco voluntarily on Friday; no new arrivals came overnight into Saturday.
  • Spain began installing a 500-metre floating barrier in the sea off the border crossing on Saturday.
  • Italy imposed one-month entry checks on non-EU travellers arriving from Spain by plane or ship.

The view from outside

The Jerusalem Post, citing New York Times reporting, says Moroccan police urged migrants gathered at the border to cross, with one interviewed man recalling officers telling him "Come to Spain". The paper also documents far-right and far-left accounts online blaming Israel for the crossing, using a seven-year-old post by Yair Netanyahu as purported proof.

What could happen next

  • EU ambassadors meet on Monday, interior ministers on Tuesday, on support for Spain and coordination at the external border.
  • Any Moroccan police role stays unconfirmed; Madrid says no intelligence indicated an imminent mass entry.
  • Spain's opposition demands the interior minister's resignation over the late response while the government was fighting wildfires.
  • Madrid attributes the rush partly to smuggling networks misreading a Supreme Court ruling on returns at sea.
How the camps see it

  • Spain: Madrid calls the crossing an attack on Spain's territorial integrity, defends Morocco as a reliable partner and accuses some EU governments of acting on prejudice and false reports in breach of European law.

  • Italy, Denmark and co-signatories: Rome introduced month-long checks on travellers from Spain and, with Copenhagen and Berlin among 22 governments, demanded an EU ministers' meeting on aid to Spain and external border control.

Also involved

EU institutions

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