Spain and Morocco reinforced the border fence of a Spanish enclave after around 49,000 people arrived by sea in one day. Dozens of bodies have been recovered, Spanish authorities said.

When he heard that the border was breached, Abdulah Buji jumped on his motorbike and rode as fast as he could to join the tens of thousands of other Moroccans who swam en masse to reach Spanish territory.

The territory's leader said the influx is overwhelming resources and urged the Spanish government to intervene.

The scale of the mass movement was compounded by three things: a ruling this month from Spain’s Supreme Court giving deportation protections to people who swim into the territory, widespread videos on social media of those making the journey and the apparent acquiescence of Moroccan border guards.

Spanish authorities said that despite the record crossing of migrants, almost everyone who entered illegally has returned to Morocco.

MOROCCO helped facilitate 60,000 migrants overrun a Spanish enclave as diplomatic revenge, Western intelligence sources believe. People arriving in Ceuta by sea were chased away by locals with

Santiago Abascal, the leader of hard-Right party Vox, blamed the prime minister for inviting the “invasion” of Spain, suggesting that the government’s liberal policies intend to shore up support for his party with millions of new “Left-wing” voters.

Spain has deployed troops to its North African enclave of Ceuta after thousands of migrants entered the territory from Morocco.