Spanish Army trucks take migrants back to the border

CEUTA, Spain (CBS, KYMA) - Migrants in Spain's Ceuta boarded Army vehicles Sunday to be taken back to the border with Morocco.

More than 50,000 people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea, in an unprecedented surge that began Thursday at one of the European union's only two land borders with Africa, prompting alarm across the bloc.

More than 48,000 returned to Morocco within 48 hours and more again over the weekend, Spanish authorities said.

The Spanish government representative in Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez, told reporters Sunday, in addition to 72 fatalities, more than 1,000 people had been treated by health services since Thursday.

The situation in the city had improved markedly, he said, but more remained to be done to reestablish normality.

Some migrants drowned and others were crushed while trying to climb a breakwater and border fence.

Many had been driven to migrate by economic hardship and encouraged by social media rumors.