The official death toll from last week’s massive migration push into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta has risen to 77, local authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
The revised figure, raised from a previous count of 75, comes as emergency crews and search operations continue along the Mediterranean coast following one of the largest border breaches in the territory’s history.
The Spanish Government Delegation in Ceuta, led by Delegate Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, confirmed the updated casualty figures on Tuesday, August 4. Emergency services reported that most of the victims drowned or suffered severe trauma while attempting to bypass maritime barriers.
Primary location was at Tarajal and Benzú breakwaters along the border separating Ceuta from the Moroccan border town of Fnideq. The mass crossing began early on Thursday, July 30, 2026, when tens of thousands of migrants rushed coastal access points and breakwaters.
Beyond the 77 confirmed dead on the Spanish side (with additional fatalities reported in Moroccan waters), local health services have treated over 1,000 individuals for hypothermia, exhaustion, and injuries sustained along the rocky breakwaters and border fences.
An estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people crossed into the enclave within a 48-hour window, quickly overwhelming local emergency services, holding centers, and public infrastructure.
”We faced a humanitarian emergency that exceeded ordinary public capacities,” stated Juan Jesús Vivas, Mayor-President of Ceuta, who called for structural assistance from Madrid after local facilities were saturated.
Following emergency bilateral actions and patrols involving Spanish security forces and military personnel, officials noted that approximately 70,000 of the arrivals have since returned or been repatriated across the border to Morocco.
While streets in Ceuta have largely returned to order following military deployment, emergency teams, humanitarian groups, and maritime rescue vessels remain on high alert along the shoreline as search-and-recovery efforts continue.
