Ceuta: Spain sends troops as thousands cross from Morocco

At least 15 people died trying to reach Ceuta

Chaos as the Ceuta border brakes down

Local officials had appealed to Madrid for help after a recent rise in attempted crossings, but border controls apparently broke down on Thursday. Thousands of people slid down concrete embankments into the sea to swim around the jetty that marks the border, leaving Spanish beaches strewn with rubber rings and flippers. At one point a Spanish official said the border was in total collapse, with migrant reception centres quickly overwhelmed.

Spain's interior ministry accused human trafficking networks of exploiting a Supreme Court ruling this month that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or the enclave of Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

"The armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta," the interior ministry said.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is due in the territory on Friday and has pledged to return things to normal immediately. The crossings are the latest sign of the pressure migration is placing on Europe's borders as the continent heads into a busy period for European travel this summer.