Ceuta Begins Burials After Mass Border Crossing

Burials have begun at Ceuta’s Muslim cemetery for migrants who died during the mass influx from Morocco on 30 July. Eighty-two people died on the Spanish side of the border during the crossing, while Morocco confirmed another 14 deaths.

According to the cemetery’s acting manager, Said Mohammed, authorities plan to bury about 70 bodies in the coming days. The dead are being buried according to Muslim rites.

About 95% of those being buried have yet to be identified. A court in Ceuta has so far confirmed the identities of only six migrants, all Moroccan men. Authorities have checked fingerprints against Spanish and Moroccan databases and compared DNA samples with those of relatives who have come forward. However, the identification process has been hampered by difficulties faced by Moroccan relatives seeking to cross legally into Ceuta to provide DNA samples. Each grave will be marked with a numbered stone to allow for future identification and repatriation.

Between 5,000 and 8,000 people remain in Ceuta after at least 72,000 crossed the border from Morocco on 30 July.

(Reuters, max)