More than 130 refugees are said to have managed to get over the fences and into Spanish territory.
Up to 2,000 people tried to storm the border fence between Morocco and the Spanish North African exclave of Melilla.
(dpa)
According to various media reports, at least 18 migrants died during a rush of up to 2,000 people on the border fence between Morocco and the Spanish North African exclave of Melilla. This was reported by the Spanish newspapers “El País” and “La Vanguardia” late on Friday evening (June 24), citing information from the authorities in the nearby Moroccan city of Nador. Five deaths had previously been reported.
In addition, another 63 migrants and around 140 Moroccan police officers were injured. The Moroccan Interior Ministry accused the migrants of using violence. They come from sub-Saharan Africa.
133 migrants managed to get over the two parallel, six-metre-high fences and into Spanish territory. Video images on the Internet showed how the mostly young men ran through the streets of Melilla, beaming with joy, singing and dancing. They were taken to an emergency center.
Morocco became independent from France and Spain in 1956. Nevertheless, Spain continues to hold two exclaves there: Melilla and Ceuta, 250 kilometers further west on the Strait of Gibraltar. Both are claimed by Rabat.
In the vicinity of the two areas, often tens of thousands of Africans, mainly from sub-Saharan countries, are waiting for a chance to enter the EU. Most of the time, hundreds of people try to surprise the border guards and get across the border.