Moroccan authorities said the individuals died as a result of a "stampede" of people who attempted Friday to climb the iron fence that separates the city of Melilla and Morocco. The Moroccan Human Rights Association reported 27 dead, but the figure could not immediately be confirmed. "They were left there without help for hours, which increased the number of deaths," the human rights group said on Twitter. "The human rights of migrants and refugees must be respected and situations like that seen cannot happen again." Five rights organizations in Morocco and APDHA, a human rights group based in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, also called for inquiries.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 26, 2022 06:50 UTC