Ceuta migrant arrivals exceed 1,500, leader says

More than 1,500 migrants, including adults and minors, have entered the Spanish north African territory of Ceuta by sea in recent days, Ceuta president Juan Jesus Vivas said in televised comments.

Vivas said the territory was in a “total humanitarian and social emergency”. He said reception centres were full and that, according to Wednesday's figures, more than 200 people were entering each day.

Officials could not immediately provide more recent figures on Thursday.

Spain's interior ministry said several ministries were coordinating a response. It said Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska would travel to Ceuta on Friday to monitor the situation and meet officials.

The ministry said the government had increased resources for security, migration control and humanitarian aid so that no lives were put in danger at sea. It also said Moroccan authorities were preventing numerous people from trying to reach Ceuta from Morocco.

Ceuta and Melilla are Spain's two north African territories. Migration from Morocco into them has long been politically sensitive between Spain and Morocco.