The number of people who died on Thursday trying to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa rose to 18, as migrants rushed by sea and land from Morocco, a Spanish Interior Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Officials had said nine people died. Spain's Interior Ministry said on Friday that according to its estimates some 49,000 migrants had crossed into Ceuta over past 24 hours.
Most of those who succeeded in crossing appeared to have done so before midday, according to residents of the Moroccan city of Fnideq.
Spain sent military and police reinforcements to Ceuta after the surge. Many of the migrants crossed by swimming around the border.
Prime minister’s visit
Ceuta, along with Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in northern Morocco, represents the European Union's only land border with Africa.
Both cities periodically experience surges in attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is due to head to the enclave on Friday. In recent years, thousands of African migrants have been risking their lives in attempts to reach Europe, mainly driven by unemployment.
