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Ongoing1 earlier update

This story has run 2 times over 3 days, starting Aug 1.

  1. 60,000 migrants reach Ceuta over two days; Spain begins mass returns
  2. Spain updates Ceuta death toll as it installs sea barrier — this issue

Spain updates Ceuta death toll as it installs sea barrier

Political Guyentist · August 4, 20261 min read

AP

Spanish authorities raised the count from 67 deaths Saturday to 72 deaths Sunday as searches continued.

The barrierMap

500 metres of a 7.6 km border

Spain's answer to the rush is a floating barrier along Ceuta's sea border. Drawn to scale against the boundary it reinforces.

A close map of Ceuta and its land border with Morocco, with a scale bar showing the 500 m floating barrier against the 7.6 km boundary. Places marked: Ceuta; Border, south end; Border, north end. Figures: deaths confirmed by Sunday, 72; arrivals from Morocco on 30–31 July, ≈60,000; of floating barrier, 500 m; of land border with Morocco, 7.6 km. A scale bar shows the floating barrier Spain installed along Ceuta's sea border.

72deaths confirmed by SundayRaised from 67 on Saturday as searches continued; drownings and a stampede.
≈60,000arrivals from Morocco on 30–31 July
500 mof floating barrierRises 30–70 cm above the water and extends up to a metre below it.
7.6 kmof land border with MoroccoMeasured along the OpenStreetMap boundary geometry drawn on this map. Not a reported figure.
Boundary and coastline: OpenStreetMap. The barrier is shown as a scale bar — its alignment was not published.
What this map shows, as data
Places marked on the map
PlaceRolePositionWhat the reporting saysSource
CeutaPlace35.89°N, 5.31°WSpanish autonomous city on the North African coast, bordered by Morocco on three sides and the Mediterranean on the fourth.OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Border, south endChokepoint35.87°N, 5.34°WWhere the land border meets the Mediterranean. Entrants were reported reaching Ceuta by swimming around the barriers here and by scaling the fences.OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Border, north endChokepoint35.91°N, 5.38°WThe border's other terminus, on the Strait of Gibraltar shore.OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Figures shown beside the map
FigureValueDetailSource
deaths confirmed by Sunday72Raised from 67 on Saturday as searches continued; drownings and a stampede.AP: Spain installs 500-metre barrier at Ceuta
arrivals from Morocco on 30–31 July≈60,000AP: Spain installs 500-metre barrier at Ceuta
of floating barrier500 mRises 30–70 cm above the water and extends up to a metre below it.France 24/Reuters: Spain installs floating barrier in Ceuta
of land border with Morocco7.6 kmMeasured along the OpenStreetMap boundary geometry drawn on this map. Not a reported figure.OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)

Where every coordinate came from

  • Coordinates: Natural Earth 1:10m populated places, Admin-1 capital “Ceuta”. Boundary: OpenStreetMap relation 1154756.
  • Southern terminus of the Ceuta–Morocco boundary in OpenStreetMap relation 1154756.
  • Northern terminus of the Ceuta–Morocco boundary in OpenStreetMap relation 1154756.
  • Length as reported by AP (500 m, “about one-third of a mile”). Drawn as a scale bar rather than sited on the map: the alignment was not published.

Sources: AP: Spain installs 500-metre barrier at Ceuta · France 24/Reuters: Spain installs floating barrier in Ceuta · OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth (public domain)

Figure 1Figures

Seventy-two dead among roughly sixty thousand who crossed

Drownings and stampede deaths are counted together; the reporting does not break them out. Spain has since installed a 500-metre floating barrier along Ceuta's sea border.

Confirmed dead
72
confirmed by Sunday, revised up from 67 on Saturday as searches continued
Arrivals
60,000
roughly this many crossed from Morocco on July 30 and 31
The numbers
Seventy-two dead among roughly sixty thousand who crossed
MeasurePeopleNote
Confirmed dead72confirmed by Sunday, revised up from 67 on Saturday as searches continued
Arrivals60,000roughly this many crossed from Morocco on July 30 and 31