Spain deploys military after thousands of Moroccan migrants cross border illegally; 9 killed

Spain has announced the deployment of its military to Ceuta after thousands of migrants crossed into the North African enclave from Morocco, triggering, what the authorities and people are describing as one of the territory's worst border crises in years. At least nine people died during the mass crossings.The government said the Armed Forces would assist the Civil Guard to “maintain security in the city of Ceuta.”, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska travelled to Ceuta on Friday to oversee the response.The latest crisis unfolded on Thursday when thousands of migrants crossed into Ceuta by swimming around breakwaters, using inflatable devices or scaling the border fence. Videos showing large crowds celebrating as they entered Spanish territory quickly spread on social media, highlighting the scale of the influx.Officials said the sudden surge overwhelmed security forces. "The situation is absolute chaos," said Rachid Sbihi, head of the association representing Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, adding that the border had "totally collapsed", as quoted by AP.Spanish authorities did not provide an official figure for the number of arrivals, but state broadcaster TVE estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 migrants entered Ceuta within hours. Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas said the territory had already been receiving around 300 migrants by sea each day in recent weeks, leaving reception centres overstretched even before Thursday's influx.