The number of people who died on Thursday trying to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa rose to 18, as migrants rushed by sea and land from Morocco, a Spanish Interior Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Spanish state television TVE said between 2,000 and 3,000 people crossed into Ceuta on Thursday. Most of those who succeeded in crossing appeared to have done so before midday, according to residents of the Moroccan city of Fnideq.

Spain sent military and police reinforcements to Ceuta on Thursday after the surge.

Ceuta, along with ‌Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in northern Morocco, represents the European Union’s only land border with Africa. Both cities periodically experience surges in attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach ​Europe.