Ceuta: The number of bodies recovered has risen to 88, with the morgue preparing to receive 200 bodies.
Written by: Ayman Ragab
The Spanish newspaper El País reported that the authorities in the city of Ceuta have prepared the city's morgue to accommodate about 200 bodies, as search and recovery operations continue from the sea.
The number of bodies recovered from the waters in the Spanish-administered city of Ceuta has risen to 88, according to Spanish media.
El País newspaper reported on Sunday that Ceuta authorities have prepared the city's morgue to receive nearly 200 bodies, as search operations continue following the latest wave of irregular migration.
88 bodies
The newspaper explained that the number of bodies inside the morgue, which is 88, exceeds the official count announced by the Spanish government delegate in Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez Triano, which amounted to 72 bodies.
She added that the bodies in the morgue are not necessarily all related to the mass crossing events that took place this week, as some of them show signs of decomposition indicating that they had been in the water for a longer period.
The Spanish government delegate in Ceuta had announced earlier on Sunday that the number of deaths linked to the latest wave of crossings had risen to 72, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
The agency noted an increase in reports and inquiries submitted by Moroccan families searching for their missing relatives since the mass crossing that the region witnessed on July 30.
Dozens of families are searching for their missing children.
According to an Anadolu correspondent, dozens of families flocked to the border fence in search of their missing children, who are believed to have died during mass crossing attempts.
In the same context, Spanish security sources reported on Saturday that about 69,500 undocumented migrants who entered Ceuta in recent days have returned to Morocco.
Spanish authorities have also completed the installation of a 500-meter-long floating security barrier at the Tarajal border crossing, as part of efforts to reduce irregular crossing attempts from the Moroccan side.
For several days now, tens of thousands of Moroccans have been flocking to the vicinity of the border fence with Ceuta, in an attempt to reach the city and from there to Europe via irregular routes.
There has been no immediate comment from Moroccan authorities regarding the number of victims, migrants, or returnees.
The cities of Ceuta and Melilla are located on the northern coast of Morocco and are under Spanish administration, while Rabat demands their return.
