An African migrant being attended by a first aid officer after being injured by troops trying to stop the flow of people crossing the boarder. Photo / Twitter
An African migrant being attended by a first aid officer after being injured by troops trying to stop the flow of people crossing the boarder. Photo / Twitter
Spain is responding to a record number of north African migrants crossing borders into the enclave of Ceuta in Morocco.
Thousands of migrants arrive in Ceuta - a Spanish territory in Africa - some even arriving after dark.
Incredible vision from the region revealed migrants dashing through the border gate, prompting Spanish officials to deploy 200 extra troops to deal with the sudden influx.
Ceuta, described by theBBC as a "magnet" for African migrants, is home to 80,000 people.
Shocking vision of Moroccan security forces firing tear gas into crowds on the border at Fnideq have begun filtering through social media.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said the "unprecedented" influx was cause for concern with more than 8000 estimated to have jumped the border in little over a day.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed more than 2700 migrants had already been sent back, but insisted no children had been forced out.
Over 6,000 migrants swam or crossed into Ceuta, a Spanish city on Morocco's coast, many arriving exhausted.
They include children and families fleeing poverty. A mother said: "Either I'll die or I'll cross."