Ceuta authorities have buried 18 migrants who died during a deadly border rush from Morocco, with the victims laid to rest in graves marked only by numbers as efforts to identify them continue.
At the Muslim cemetery in the Spanish territory on Friday, Islamic prayers and chants were recited as funeral workers lowered white body bags into graves and covered them with soil. The burial ceremony was attended by a small group of local residents.
The victims were among more than 90 migrants who died during the deadliest border crisis in Ceuta in recent weeks. Many drowned or were killed in a stampede as thousands attempted to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint.
The crisis was fueled by misinformation, poverty and a lack of economic opportunities, with more than 72,000 people reportedly entering Ceuta, a Spanish enclave bordering Morocco.
Said Mohammed, the acting manager of the cemetery, said all 18 migrants buried on Friday were men. He explained that the graves were marked with numbered stones so the bodies could be identified and claimed by relatives in the future.
Under Islamic tradition, the bodies were buried facing Mecca.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights, a left-leaning nongovernmental organisation, has urged authorities to suspend the burials until every effort is made to identify the dead and return their remains to their families in Morocco, where most of the migrants originated.
The group described the burials as a “new human tragedy” and urged Morocco’s foreign ministry to ensure that the bodies were returned to their families “so they can be buried with dignity.”
Ceuta’s city government said last week that the paperwork required to repatriate the bodies had been completed, but that the Moroccan government had not accepted it.
Morocco’s foreign ministry did not respond to questions about the burials or claims that it was preventing the repatriation of identified bodies.
Although most of the migrants who crossed into Ceuta in late July returned to Morocco shortly afterwards, local authorities estimate that between 9,000 and 10,000 people, including women and children, remain in the small Spanish territory.
Spain’s national government has put the figure at around 5,000.
The continuing presence of thousands of migrants has prolonged a humanitarian crisis, placing pressure on local authorities and residents struggling to provide shelter and other basic assistance.
Moroccan and Spanish authorities have blamed social media rumours and human-smuggling networks for contributing to the deadly border rush. Migrants, however, have cited unemployment, poverty and low wages as major reasons for attempting the perilous journey.
For those buried on Friday, the final resting place was just across the sea from mainland Europe — the destination they had hoped to reach.
