Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Tuesday that around 70,000 of the roughly 72,000 migrants who crossed into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco last week have since returned to Morocco.
Marlaska made the remarks at a press conference following an emergency video meeting of European Union (EU) interior ministers on the migrant influx into Ceuta.
Spain's government delegation in Ceuta confirmed on Tuesday that the mass crossing has caused at least 75 deaths.
Many of the victims drowned or died in crowd crushes while attempting to enter Ceuta by crossing the Tarajal breakwater area. Spain's Civil Guard is continuing to search the coastline for missing people and has opened dedicated channels to receive missing-person reports.
Spain's central government estimates that about 2,500 migrants remain in Ceuta, while the local government puts the figure at between 3,000 and 5,000. According to the local authorities, at least 1,000 of those remaining are minors.
Morocco's Interior Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the incident was driven by the malicious use of social media, the spread of misleading information, and misunderstandings of legal provisions.
Ceuta, located on the Mediterranean coast of northwestern Africa near the Strait of Gibraltar, borders Morocco. The recent surge of illegal crossings from the Moroccan side has triggered the most severe border migration crisis Spain has faced in recent years.
Spain says most migrants return to Morocco from Ceuta
Spain says most migrants return to Morocco from Ceuta
