Spanish territory of Ceuta: 8000 migrant Africans cross border into Ceuta

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.

— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 18, 2021

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 the BBC 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."

Soldiers were seen pushing some back into the sea. At least 1 drowned. pic.twitter.com/fTNIuv5CLA

— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 18, 2021

He insisted the government was working to "restore order" following the overnight crisis, warning adults would be "immediately returned".

"This sudden arrival of irregular migrants is a serious crisis for Spain and for Europe," he said.