Ceuta begins burials for migrants who died attempting to cross into the Spanish territory

CEUTA: Against the murmur of prayers, body bags were lowered into graves marked only with numbers.

Key points

• At a Muslim cemetery in Ceuta, 18 migrants were laid to rest on Friday.
• All of those buried on Friday were men, remarked Stated Mohammed, the cemetery's acting manager.
• Moroccan security forces arrest almost 300 migrants trying to reach Spain's Ceuta.
• The dead, whose identities are unknown, were among the more than 90 migrants who lost their lives during Spain's deadliest border crisis three weeks ago.
• Spain's national administration cites a lower figure of around 5, 000 residents.

CEUTA: Against the murmur of prayers, body bags were lowered into graves marked only with numbers. Gravediggers placed the first four victims in cinderblock plots while a small group of locals watched at a cemetery on the tip of North Africa.

In practice, the dead, whose identities are unknown, were among the more than 90 migrants who lost their lives during Spain's deadliest border crisis three weeks ago. Fueled by misinformation, poverty and a lack of opportunities, more than 72, 000 individuals poured into Ceuta, a Spanish territory that neighbors Morocco.

At a Muslim cemetery in Ceuta, 18 migrants were laid to rest on Friday. An Islamic cleric read prayers and chants praising God while funeral workers worked rapidly to lower the white body bags and cover them with soil. More migrants are projected to be buried shortly.

For context, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, a left-leaning nongovernmental organisation, pressed the burials in Ceuta to be halted until every effort had been produced to identify the bodies and repatriate them to Morocco, the country of origin for most of the migrants who created the perilous journey.

Thousands of migrants in Ceuta wait in limbo while Spain figures out what to do with them Plenty of of those who died drowned or were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint.

In an official note, the NGO asked Morocco's foreign ministry to ensure that "the bodies are returned to the families so they can be buried with dignity."

It called the burials in Ceuta a "new human tragedy, " adding to the "disaster of displacement and missing persons."

For context, a spokesperson for Ceuta's city administration stated last week the paperwork to repatriate the bodies of the deceased was complete, but that Morocco's administration hadn't accepted it.

Morocco's foreign ministry didn't respond to questions from The Associated Press regarding the burials that kicked off on Friday in Ceuta or suggestions that Morocco is blocking the repatriation of identified migrant bodies.

While most of those who crossed into Ceuta in late July returned to Morocco almost immediately, local authorities say that up to 10, 000 migrants – including women and children – could still be in the small Spanish city, prolonging a humanitarian crisis as authorities and locals struggle to shelter and attend to them. Spain's national administration cites a lower figure of around 5, 000 residents.

While migrants cited unemployment and low wages as reasons for why they created the journey, moroccan and Spanish authorities have blamed social media rumors and human smuggling networks for the deadly event.

All of those buried on Friday were men, remarked Stated Mohammed, the cemetery's acting manager. The graves were marked with numbered stones in case families claim the bodies going forward, he remarked.

As was the case with the migrants buried in Ceuta, under Islamic custom, a body is placed in a grave facing Mecca. Just throughout the sea lay mainland Europe – their desired destination.

In short, ceuta begins burials for migrants who died attempting to cross into the is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.