Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - Spain says it has reversed a huge migrant rush into its Ceuta enclave, with most of the more than 50,000 people who crossed from Morocco already heading back voluntarily. The crisis has left 57 people dead on the Spanish side, with officials warning there may be more casualties in Morocco.

According to Spanish authorities, around 50,000 people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea since Thursday morning, but by Friday evening about 48,300 had returned to Morocco. Many of those who crossed said they could not find food or shelter in Ceuta, and some went back through border posts while others used holes in the fence.

Officials said some victims drowned, while others were crushed trying to climb the breakwater near the border fence at Tarajal beach. The scale of the movement was so large that Spanish forces and local authorities struggled to manage the enclave’s reception system, prompting renewed calls for emergency support.

The episode has also triggered political fallout across Europe, with the crisis reopening debate over border control and migration pressure along the Spain-Morocco frontier. Spain is now working to process returns and stabilize the situation, but the border remains tense.

What began as a mass crossing has rapidly turned into a mass return, but only after a deadly toll. The immediate challenge for Spain is to restore order in Ceuta while preventing another surge across the border.