On Friday, a team of gravediggers in protective gear started the burial of the first four migrants who perished during the mass crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta three weeks ago. The ceremony took place at Ceuta’s Muslim cemetery, where a Muslim cleric offered a brief prayer before the bodies, wrapped in white body bags, were lowered into cinderblock‑lined graves.
Burial plan and identification efforts
The cemetery’s acting manager, Said Mohammed, said officials aim to bury roughly 70 bodies over the next several days, conducting 10 to 12 interments each day. About 95% of the deceased remain unidentified; each grave is marked with a numbered stone to allow future claims and possible repatriation.
Authorities have so far identified only six migrants – all adult Moroccan men – according to data from Ceuta’s court. Moroccan relatives have been using social media to seek information and have pressed officials for assistance.
Border rush casualties
On July 30, an estimated 72,000 people attempted to cross from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the North African coast. The rush resulted in 82 migrant deaths on the Spanish side of the border, with Moroccan officials confirming an additional 14 fatalities.
Guardia Civil Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Atoche, who leads the police crime division, explained that fingerprint data and DNA samples are being cross‑checked with Spanish and Moroccan databases. However, many Moroccan relatives face legal barriers to entering Ceuta and providing DNA samples at a border‑side office set up by Spanish authorities.
Religious rites
The burials follow Muslim customs, which require the body to be positioned facing Mecca and covered with soil. The ceremony reflects the religious practices of the majority of those who died in the crossing.
As the identification process continues, officials hope that the numbered graves will facilitate future claims by families seeking to bring their loved ones home.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
