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It is 9 a.m. on Saturday, and migrants are returning from a harrowing experience filled with the smell of death, one that resulted in the loss of many young individuals and children whose journey ended at the coast of Ceuta, where the dreams of numerous people for a better life came to a tragic conclusion, leaving behind countless stories and mothers devastated by sorrow and remorse.

Amid images of migrants returning from Ceuta, the accounts of worried mothers who have been waiting since early morning are common. They are searching for children they have not heard from, as reports indicate a death toll that may continue to increase, with Spanish authorities reporting 67 fatalities by Saturday morning.

Najate remains still, her gaze focused on the groups returning from the “hell” of Ceuta, hoping to spot one of her three children, who had crossed with tens of thousands of people coming from various cities.

Najate states that her three children went to Ceuta before she lost touch with them.

I have three minor children who entered Ceuta without my awareness,” she stated. “A 14-year-old boy and two girls who are 13 and 12 years old. I have been searching for them since yesterday and have not been able to contact them.

Overwhelmed by fear, the woman stated that her youngest daughter had come back home on Thursday morning and then left again after taking a copy of her mother’s national identity card along with some personal items. She also obtained the phone number of her older sister. After that, the three children vanished, leaving the family without any updates regarding their whereabouts.

I was informed they would contact me, but no one has reached out, and I have no idea where they are,” the frightened mother stated as news of fatalities spread throughout the region. “All I wish for is my children to come back home safely.

We were told that an organization had taken responsibility for them, but we are unaware of the organization’s name or their location,” Najate said, her face showing confusion. “We simply want to know the truth and feel assured about our children.

She mentioned that she was concerned the children might be at risk of being exploited or harmed.

The absence of details regarding her children, as well as those of numerous other families in similar situations, was intensifying the fear felt by parents, she mentioned, especially when the missing children were young girls whose well-being could not be assured.

Najate urged the authorities to act quickly, determine the location of the missing children, and provide comfort to their families. Knowing their whereabouts, she stated, was the primary and ultimate request of every mother and father experiencing hours of worry and uncertainty.

Not far from Najate, a woman in her 50s is standing next to her husband with grey hair. Her eyes are filled with tears as she waits for the return of a son who vanished three days ago during the disastrous migration effort that disrupted the lives of many families and kept their loved ones awake at night.

Facing the metal fence that divides the sea from the road to the border checkpoint, the old woman talks to herself in a shaky voice while weeping.

Where are you, my son? Where have you gone and left me?

Her astonished spouse gently touches her shoulder, attempting to soothe her and uphold the calmness needed in such situations.

Individuals who returned from Ceuta shared various accounts and narratives from their short trip, detailing the atrocities of a complicated crossing where many young people and children lost their lives due to drowning or being trampled during a large-scale movement that saw over 50,000 individuals enter Ceuta under harsh and disorganized circumstances.

The pain experienced by families continues despite the numerous tragedies occurring at the border and in nearby regions. For certain individuals, the comfort of discovering their children alive is not fully realized, especially since security actions lead to many of them being relocated to faraway cities.

Fatima, who lives in Tetouan, is looking for her minor son, who was spotted with other arrested individuals near the Ceuta border before being taken to a far-off location on a bus filled with many migrants.

We were informed by a call that my son had been taken to Taroudant in the southern part of the country,” said the mother, who was with her daughter and another individual. “He eventually arrived in Marrakech with other children, where they were held by the security forces.

“They refused to give him to one of our neighbors, whose son was with him, and we’ll have to go to Marrakech to retrieve him,” the mother said, her face pale from fear for her son.

She asked why children and young people were being sent to cities distant from their home towns and what the intention behind this policy was.

The woman, whose family lacks personal transportation, recounted the events involving her son as “punitive and retaliatory, targeting him and us.”

It is comforting to know that, thank goodness, he is still alive,” she said. “We pray to God to grant patience to the mothers of those who lost their lives in the tragic attempt to enter the occupied city.

Her statements served as a gesture of comfort for the families who have lost their children in an event that still holds many unanswered questions.

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