Clashes erupt again at Morocco-Melilla border as hundreds push to enter Spanish enclave

Clashes erupted Saturday between Moroccan security forces and hundreds of people trying to push across the border into the Spanish-administered enclave of Melilla.

Videos shared by activists on social media and local Moroccan media showed confrontations between the migrants and security personnel.

Moroccan news website Hibapress reported that the clashes followed a mass attempt to storm the border crossing, leaving members of both the security forces and the migrants injured.

The outlet said authorities arrested 50 people.

The Beni Ansar crossing between the Moroccan city of Beni Ansar and Melilla remained closed for a second consecutive day following repeated mass attempts to cross into the enclave.

The closure disrupted travel for many passengers, particularly members of the Moroccan diaspora returning from abroad.

According to Spain's Interior Ministry, about 48,300 people had returned to Morocco by 1600GMT Friday, out of an estimated 60,000 who entered Ceuta in recent days, said the enclave's regional government chief.

Spanish authorities said some would-be migrants drowned while trying to swim to Ceuta, while others were killed in a stampede near the border barrier.

The number of bodies recovered on the Spanish side of the border has risen to 57, while search operations continue amid fears that more victims remain missing.

In the last several days, tens of thousands of Moroccans have gathered near the border fence in an attempt to reach Ceuta and continue onwards to Europe through irregular migration routes.

Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish-administered enclaves on Morocco's northern coast and constitute the European Union's only land borders with the African continent.