(AP) A record number of 491 migrants crossed the fences separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco Wednesday, authorities in the North African city said. Dozens were injured, including border patrol agents.
The Spanish government representative in Melilla, Sabrina Moh, told local radio station Cadena COPE she was surprised over 2,000 people had attempted the crossing, one of the highest numbers on record.
Everything happened “really fast,” Moh said.
People fleeing poverty or violence wait for weeks or even months in the vicinity of Melilla and Ceuta, another Spanish territory on the North Africa coast, waiting for the best opportunity to surprise police agents on both sides of the border. If they succeed, they try to continue on to the Spanish mainland and other parts of continental Europe.
