Moroccan Man Dies at Sea Attempting to Reach Spanish Enclave of Ceuta

Abdelghafour, one of 11 siblings, worked as a waiter in Oued Laou before deciding to reach Spain via Ceuta. His lifeless body was found at sea on Wednesday in Ceuta by the GEAS of the Civil Guard in Almadraba, reports El Faro de Ceuta. The remains were taken to the Al Qadr morgue until Saturday, when the burial took place in the Sidi Embarek cemetery. His family in Morocco was able to pay him a final tribute and attend the burial live via the Internet-connected mobile phone of a friend of one of Abdelghafour Benaboura’s brothers residing in Ceuta.

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According to initial observations, the young man had been dead for a few hours. The Civil Guard agents suspect that he tried to enter Ceuta by swimming with another young man, not yet identified, whose lifeless body was also found on Friday on the Chorrillo beach. The proximity of the discovery areas of the two bodies and the period of death lead the agents to assume that the two immigration candidates arrived together in Ceuta by swimming. The hypothesis has not yet been verified.

To read: Migrant Deaths at Sea Nearing Record Highs, Spanish NGO Warns

Abdelghafour left Morocco to find work and build a better future in Spain, said one of his brothers to El Faro de Ceuta. According to him, his brother is a victim of the Covid-19 health crisis, which led to the closure of borders, lockdowns and the cessation of activities of many companies. His family had been without news of him since Monday, July 19. Like Abdelghafour, many young Moroccans, candidates for immigration, disappear or lose their lives at sea.