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500 migrants fail to breach Spain’s Melilla border

By WTOP Staff

MADRID (AP) — Officials say around 500 migrants of sub-Saharan origin tried to storm Spain’s barbed-wire border fence separating its North African enclave of Melilla from Morocco but all failed in their bid to enter Europe.

A government statement says hundreds succeeded in breaching an outer fence, but a recently-installed mesh barrier stopped their advance.

Many migrants then opted to run parallel to the fence, forcing the closure of the border crossing between Melilla and Morocco for a short time.

Officials said all migrants returned to Morocco Sunday and no one was injured. A helicopter was used to oversee the attempted border breach.

Spain and Morocco stepped up border vigilance in February after 15 migrants drowned trying to reach Ceuta, another Spanish enclave located on Africa’s northern coast.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Emergency guide: What you should do to prepare for emergencies

By WTOP Staff
WASHINGTON — Do you know what you'd do if an emergency hits? What if you're at work, your spouse is stuck in traffic and your children are in school? There's no way to plan for every emergency, but you can make sure you're prepared for different scenarios, including making a plan for your family and building a kit of emergency supplies.
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