1st LD Writethru: Over 400 migrants scale border fence to enter Spanish enclave of Ceuta

Around 440 migrants of sub-Saharan origin illegally crossed the border fence which separates the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in the early hours of Friday morning, the Spanish Civil Guard confirmed.

The incident happened at approximately 6:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) when the migrants managed to climb the six-meter-high frontier wire before forcing one of the doors in the fence and entering Spanish territory.

Upon entering Ceuta, the migrants separated into small groups and ran through the streets of the town, with many making their way to the neighborhood known as "El Principe," which is made up of a labyrinth of small streets and has a mainly Muslim population.

The Red Cross reported it had treated 103 migrants for injuries they sustained in the crossing, while 28 were taken to hospital.

Such was the chaos in what is thought to be the biggest assault on the frontier in over a decade, that it was originally thought only 150 migrants had climbed the fence.

Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido commented to Spanish media in Brussels, where he is attending an EU meeting, that the "majority" of those who had taken part in the assault had been detained by the Spanish police and that the remainder "were being searched for so that the correct measures" could be taken.

Ceuta and the other Spanish enclave of Melilla are favored destinations for many migrants as they are officially European Union (EU) soil but located on the African continent, which means avoiding the perilous sea crossing to southern Europe.

Figures published by the Spanish interior ministry on Sept. 14 showed that in 2015 the number of migrants entering the two cites rose to 11,624, 4,139 more than in 2014.

Spanish media reported that Friday's incident meant there could be now around 1,100 residents in Ceuta's temporary immigrant residential center, which has an official capacity of just 512. Endit