An intense Monday downpour at the Spanish exclave of Ceuta pushed feces and waste left by invading illegal migrants around the city’s drains and into the sea, local outlets reported.
Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published October 20, 2026
CEUTA, Spain — Heavy rainfall in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta washed accumulated human waste and rubbish from drainage channels into the sea on Monday, October 19, according to local media reports.
The downpour carried fecal matter, urine, plastic, cans, bottles and wet wipes through rainwater drainage channels in the Benítez coastal area. Residents and passersby reported a strong, unpleasant odor as the waste reached the shoreline.
Local outlet El Periódico de Ceuta reported that some drainage channels had been used as makeshift toilets during the months following the mass arrival of migrants in July. The channels were designed to carry rainwater toward the coast.
The heavy rains recorded this Monday in Ceuta have caused feces, urine and numerous wastes accumulated since last July to flow into the sea from the Benítez stormwater drainage openings .
The incident occurred after weeks of heavy rainfall and amid continuing sanitation challenges associated with makeshift migrant encampments across the territory.
On October 2, Ceuta’s health authorities warned that water at El Trampolín beach was contaminated. Microbiological tests detected elevated concentrations of intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli, leading officials to identify a health risk from contact with the water.
Ceuta experienced a major migration surge in late July, when more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave, according to reports cited by the UK House of Commons Library. The arrivals placed significant pressure on local accommodation and public services.
Spanish police subsequently dismantled several large encampments. On October 11, authorities cleared the Guano beach settlement, where approximately 400 migrants remained. Cleanup crews removed tents, rubbish and other debris from the site.
The October 19 rainfall carried waste accumulated in the drainage system into coastal waters, according to local reporting. The extent of any additional contamination resulting from that specific incident was not established in the available reports.
With the rainfall this Monday, the water has washed away some of the waste and debris accumulated in these areas , carrying it directly to the coast.
