Hundreds of migrants scale border fences between Morocco, Spain's North African enclave

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Around 300 migrants attempted to scale fences separating Melilla, Spain's overseas enclave, from Morocco on Thursday, according to the government of Melilla.

A total of 238 people managed to get over the 6-meter (29-foot) fence in the North African enclave.

The migrants, mostly young men from sub-Sahara Africa, used metal hooks to scale the fence that is topped with barbed wire.

At least 20 were injured, including three police officers.

Most who managed to cross arrived jubilantly but were later sent to a temporary migrant shelter for quarantine.

Spain often practices so-called express deportations in similar situations.

It is the third time people managed to jump the fence in Melilla in two weeks.

In the first half of 2021, nearly 15,000 people illegally crossed into Spain.

That is 63% more than in the same period in 2020, according to the Interior Ministry.

This year, migrant routes to Spain have also become more fatal.

Nearly 2,100 people died or went missing trying to cross Africa into Spain, according to the human rights organization Caminando Fronteras, or Front Line Defenders.

It is five times higher than during the same period last year.