The victims included migrants who died while trying to reach Ceuta and others who were killed in a rush as thousands attempted to break through a breakwater barrier separating Morocco from the Spanish territory.

In response to the crisis, Spain announced it would install a 500-meter-long containment barrier along the breakwater fence extending into the sea to prevent further mass crossings.

The move follows a dramatic surge between Thursday and Friday, when about 60,000 migrants breached Ceuta’s frontier, overwhelming security forces and creating chaos in the small Spanish territory in North Africa.

On Saturday morning, a small number of exhausted migrants who managed to swim to Ceuta’s Tarajal beach were intercepted by soldiers and escorted back across the border into Morocco.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said most of those who entered the territory had already returned to Morocco.

After days of crowded streets and uncertainty, residents of Ceuta, a city of about 84,000 people, woke up Saturday to a fragile calm. However, authorities said the crisis had left deep concerns among residents.

“Life in this city has been disrupted as a result of the border incident,” said Ceuta’s Mayor-President Juan Jesus Vivas.

“The return of people has begun satisfactorily but the process must be completed,” he said. “The city has not yet returned to normal.”

Despite efforts to restore order, some migrants remained in Ceuta, hoping to continue their journey toward a better life in Europe.

Among them was Mohamed Hatri, a 23-year-old Moroccan migrant, who said he and others would not leave despite difficult conditions.

“They’ve closed everything down so that we can’t buy anything to eat, to force us to return to our country,” he told journalist.

"But even if they close it down, even if everything is closed, we’re going to stay here, whether we’re hungry or not," they added.