Spain buries first of 82 migrants killed in Ceuta border rush
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Gravediggers in Ceuta began burying the first of scores of migrants who died in a mass crossing from Morocco three weeks ago. Around 70 bodies are to be buried in the coming days, with 10 to 12 burials each day. About 95% of the dead have not been identified, and only six Moroccan men have been named so far.
Key Facts
- At least 72,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30, 2026, and 82 migrants died on the Spanish side of the border.
- Around 70 bodies are to be buried in the coming days at Ceuta's Muslim cemetery, with 10 to 12 burials each day.
- About 95% of those being buried have not been identified, and only six migrants—all Moroccan adult males—have been identified so far.
- Morocco has confirmed 14 additional deaths on its side of the border.
- Spanish authorities say between 5,000 and 8,000 people remain in Ceuta after the mass crossing.
Burials Begin
On Friday, gravediggers in disposable protective overalls and facemasks began burying the first four victims at Ceuta's Muslim cemetery. A Muslim cleric read a quick prayer as the workers lowered the bodies wrapped in white body bags into cinderblock-lined graves side-by-side. Cemetery acting manager Said Mohammed said the plan was to bury around 70 bodies in the coming days, with 10 to 12 burials each day. Each grave was marked with a numbered stone in case the body was claimed and repatriated eventually, Mohammed said.
Identification Efforts
Authorities have only been able to identify six migrants, all Moroccan adult males, according to the latest data provided by Ceuta's court. Guardia Civil Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Atoche, who heads the police's crime division, said a major reason for the low number of identifications has been the difficulty for Moroccan relatives to legally cross into Ceuta to leave DNA samples. The migrants' fingerprint data was run through Spanish and Moroccan databases and their DNA samples compared with relatives who came forward, Atoche said. Desperate Moroccan relatives of missing migrants have been pleading for information on social media and pressing officials at the border.
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Spain buries first of 82 migrants killed in Ceuta border rush
