At least 18 die as 49,000 people cross to Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco

Some drowned and others caught up in crush, official says, as incident prompts criticism of Spain from France and Italy

At least 18 people have died trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after around 49,000 migrants entered the tiny territory from Morocco in a matter of hours, triggering a political crisis for the Madrid government and unleashing a barrage of criticism from other EU countries.

The large influx of people arriving in Ceuta by swimming across from neighbouring Morocco or scaling the high border fence has caught the city of 85,000 off guard and resulted in what one local police association has called a serious humanitarian crisis".