At least 72 migrants have died after an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people, most of them young men, attempted to storm the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco, triggering a major humanitarian and diplomatic crisis. The incident has reignited debate over immigration policy across Europe, with Spain deploying its military to the North African territory and other European nations reacting with alarm to the scale of the surge.

Spanish authorities were continuing to search the waters off Ceuta over the weekend for further victims, with officials saying many of the dead drowned while attempting the crossing and others were killed in a crush as the crowd pushed forward. The crisis has had wider political repercussions, with Spain's prime minister branding the surge an "attack" on the country, Italy restoring border checks with Spain, and the White House criticising Madrid's handling of the situation after reportedly denying an emergency request. The US State Department has also raised its travel warning for the affected part of Spain.