The death toll from last week's mass migrant crossing into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta has risen to 72, local authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Government delegate to Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez Triano, said the latest figures showed 72 people lost their lives during the unprecedented surge, up from the previously reported 67 fatalities.
The humanitarian crisis unfolded after an estimated 60,000 migrants, most of them swimming around border barriers from Morocco, entered the Spanish enclave in what has become the largest mass crossing in Ceuta's history.
Authorities said the majority of those who crossed have since returned voluntarily to Morocco, with the enclave gradually returning to normal.
Spanish police and military personnel remained deployed across Ceuta on Sunday, while only small groups of migrants were still seen in the streets.
Outside a housing estate near the port, soldiers detained a group of exhausted migrants before escorting them for processing, while rescue teams continued to patrol the waters along the border.
Spain has also reinforced security by installing a 500-metre floating barrier near the maritime border, as Civil Guard officers escorted more migrants back to the border crossing for their return to Morocco.
The mass influx has sparked an international political dispute, with some European partners criticising Spain's immigration policies.
Spanish authorities have blamed criminal trafficking networks for fuelling the crisis by spreading false claims that a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling would make it easier for migrants to enter and remain in the country.

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