At least 67 migrants died after a chaotic mass influx into Spain's North African exclave of Ceuta, where tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco, Spanish news agency Europa Press reported on Saturday, citing the Spanish Interior Ministry's representative in the territory.
Spain's Guardia Civil police force recovered 10 more bodies from the sea since Friday afternoon, raising the confirmed death toll from 57, the report said. Search teams continued combing the waters off Ceuta on Saturday morning.
Most of the victims drowned while trying to swim from Morocco to the tiny Spanish territory, officials have said.
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said that almost all of the people who entered Ceuta have since returned voluntarily to Morocco after finding little prospect of continuing their journey to mainland Spain and facing a lack of shelter and basic services.
Images from the scene showed a slew of inflatable rings and car tyres used by migrants attempting to reach Ceuta from the Moroccan coastal town of Fnideq. Others tried to enter by climbing the border fences separating the exclave from Morocco.
Authorities have given differing estimates of how many people entered Ceuta in recent days. Regional President Juan Jesús Vivas said around 60,000 migrants had arrived, while Spain's central government put the figure at just under 50,000.
Spanish authorities said the arrivals included large numbers of women and children.
The mass crossing has prompted an emergency response from the European Union.
Experts from member states were due to hold a crisis meeting later on Saturday to discuss the developments, according to the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU. EU ambassadors are also scheduled to meet on Monday to assess the situation and coordinate the bloc's response.
Discussions are expected to focus on support for Spain, the return of migrants to Morocco and diplomatic efforts with Rabat in the wake of one of the largest sudden migration surges ever recorded at the EU's external border.
EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner sought to reassure member states after speaking by telephone with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.
"Not a single person has crossed to mainland EU," he said in a statement late Friday.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back against criticism of his left-wing government's handling of the crisis from several EU member states
"Solidarity and compassion are voluntary. Respect for European treaties and the data is not," Sánchez wrote on the platform X on Friday evening, citing EU data showing that Spain is not the main entry point for irregular migration into the 27-country bloc.
In response to the developments, Italy's right-wing government has temporarily suspended the Schengen free-movement agreement with Spain, reintroducing border checks for passengers arriving by air and sea.
Overnight, police also reinforced security around Spain's other North African exclave, Melilla, after about 500 migrants attempted to cross from Morocco on Friday evening, according to Spanish state broadcaster RTVE.
The broadcaster said another group tried to breach the border fence about two hours later. Some migrants threw stones at police, who responded with tear gas. It was not immediately clear whether anyone had succeeded in entering the enclave.
The Beni Enzar border crossing has remained closed since Thursday evening.
Ceuta and Melilla, located on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, have been under Spanish control for centuries.