After thousands of migrants on Thursday, the 8th of Mordad, swam from Morocco into Spain’s territory in North Africa, the government of this country has deployed its army to the region to strengthen security in the city of Ceuta.

According to reports, at least 15 people drowned while trying to reach Ceuta.

As migrants’ attempts to cross the border increased, local authorities had asked Madrid for help, but on Thursday, with the border controls lost, the area saw scenes of chaos.

In the past month, Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants who are stopped at sea by Spanish security forces while trying to reach the territory of this country cannot be immediately returned to Morocco.

Spain’s Ministry of the Interior has accused human-trafficking networks of taking advantage of this issue to “encourage illegal migration.”

📷 Reuters