Moroccan families still searching for missing loved ones after mass Ceuta border crossing
More than two weeks after over 70,000 migrants crossed into Spain's Ceuta enclave from Morocco, many Moroccan families remain without news of missing relatives. The official death toll stands at 91, though a rights group estimates it could be at least 141.
More than two weeks after over 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on July 30 and 31, many families are still searching for missing loved ones. Relatives have travelled to hospitals, police stations and the border itself in hopes of any information.
Most of those who crossed have since moved on, but between 2,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta. Officials have put the death toll at 91 — 80 in Spain and 11 on the Moroccan side — while the non-governmental Moroccan Association for Human Rights estimates the real figure could be at least 141. Spanish authorities have recovered dozens of bodies at sea but are struggling to identify them, leaving many families fearing the worst.
Burials begin despite unresolved identifications
A court has ordered burials to begin on Thursday at Ceuta's Sidi Mbarek Muslim cemetery, even though not all bodies have been identified. Cemetery manager Saïd Mohammed Mohammed said resources were insufficient to bury all of the more than 80 bodies in a single day. He explained that unidentified remains are assigned a case number recorded at the cemetery and in court files, so families who come forward later can still confirm identity and claim the remains.
Families search for answers
In the northern Moroccan town of Fnideq, a man named Rahali spent nearly a week trying to trace his son Zakaria, who set out for the border with a friend on July 30 after hearing it had opened. Finding the crossing closed, the pair swam into the sea; the friend made it to shore, but Zakaria disappeared in the water and has not been heard from since. Rahali has visited hospitals and police in Tangier and Tétouan without success.
Social media has become a key search tool, with families posting photos and appeals on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. One woman, Zineb, found footage of her missing brother Mehdi emerging from the sea, but 18 days on, the family still has no further news.
Spanish authorities in Ceuta have set up a dedicated missing-persons office where families can submit photos, descriptions and DNA samples for comparison with unidentified bodies. Since it opened, 32 missing-persons cases have been logged, 29 of which match DNA already in the database, with the first identification confirmed on August 5.
