Words by ITV News Producer Andy Ward

At least 41 migrants have now died trying to reach Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in what is being described as a “serious humanitarian crisis”.

Videos and images showed tens of thousands of people trying to reach the territory, many of them swimming to get there, with Spain deploying its military in a bid to restore order at the border with Morocco.

The situation boiled over into Friday as Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, told a press conference that at least 60,000 people had crossed into the territory over the past 24 hours alone.

Spain’s interior ministry estimated the figure was slightly lower, about 50,000, and said that half had already returned to Morocco.

But what has prompted the mass crossings in the first place? ITV News explains.

What is happening?

Moroccan migrants have been pouring into Ceuta, an autonomous city in Spain, in their droves this week, completely overwhelming local authorities.

Things came to a head on Thursday when tens of thousands entered the tiny Spanish territory – the majority of them by sea.

At least 41 people died, many of them drowning, but according to Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain’s Civil Guard officers, some were also killed in a stampede near the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach.

A video shows the moment migrants breach the border

Sbihi called the situation a “serious humanitarian crisis,” and said that the migrants, including unaccompanied children, “were left sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, while others roamed the streets aimlessly”.

In an attempt to get a grip on things, Spain rushed members of its military and extra police officers to Ceuta while Moroccan police reportedly used water cannons and fired warning shots into the air to try to stop people entering the sea.

Where is Ceuta?

Ceuta is a small city on North Africa’s coast, which shares its only border with Morocco.

It is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar, and has belonged to the country since the 16th century.

Morocco has long claimed sovereignty over the city because of its geographical location, but that has always been denied by the Spanish.

Ceuta and Melilla are the only European territories on mainland Africa – making them attractive to African migrants in particular, who see the cities as a gateway to Europe.

It is heavily policed and is protected by a barbed wire fence, but crucially, it also has a port and a beach.

That means many migrants often see the dangerous three-mile swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq as their best chance of breaching the border.

Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.

According to migration data from the UN, 2,826 people had crossed into Ceuta up until July 15 this year. That figure is set to rise significantly.Why are so many migrants coming over?

The reason behind the surge is not yet clear, but the Spanish government acknowledged it may be down to a ruling in the country’s Supreme Court earlier this month.

The court ruled that any migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta can no longer be immediately pushed back across the border, unlike those who arrive by land.

“This crisis stems from an interpretation of a Supreme Court’s decision, according to which people who swim illegally across the border cannot be returned,” the Spanish government said in a statement late on Thursday.

“It appears that this interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling spread like wildfire over the past few hours through the networks of human trafficking organisations, triggering the kind of mass surge we witnessed yesterday,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez added on Friday.

However, humanitarian activists in Morocco expressed doubt that the ruling was the catalyst for the crossings, arguing most migrants would have been unaware of such legal decisions.

As for why so many Moroccans are fleeing?

Morocco has long struggled with high unemployment rates among young people, which means many are willing to risk their lives for a better future abroad instead.

One of those is Ahmed Karim, a 33-year old Moroccan, who said he had made the journey Ceuta because of the lack of jobs in his own country.

“Many people want to go to Europe, America, but they don’t have the opportunity,” he told The Associated Press.

What has the political reaction been?

Speaking during a visit to Ceuta on Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the escalating situation as “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity”.

He said the Spanish government was working hard to return all illegal migrants to Morocco “as soon as possible”, and blamed the surge on people smugglers, saying: “They deceive so many young people, and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths”.

Ceuta’s president called the crisis “absolutely unsustainable” as many European leaders vowed to tighten border controls.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend Italy’s Schengen zone agreement with Spain on free movement, promising “extraordinary measures to defend our borders and ensure the safety of our citizens”.

What those measures would be though isn’t obvious.

Italy and Spain don’t share a land border, so the most likely outcome would be extra checks for airline passengers or those arriving by sea.

The Schengen Agreement allows more than 450 million people to travel freely across 29 European nations, but countries can temporarily bring back passport checks if they believe there is a serious threat to security.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France would also strengthen border checks with Spain.

Finland’s Interior Minister Mari Rantanen also backed Meloni’s stance, saying that Spain had “completely failed” to secure its border”, while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that the scenes in Ceuta were “unacceptable” and “dangerous crossings must stop immediately”.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Friday the government had offered to help Spain, but added “it was a matter for the Spanish government first and foremost.”