Eleven migrants have died while trying to reach the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, according to the Interior Ministry.
The ministry said the death toll stands at 11 and not the higher figures circulating online.
One person died after falling from a rocky area near Ceuta. Ten others drowned.
The ministry said many people believed the crossing would be easy because the distance is less than 70 metres in some places and the water is only a little more than two metres deep at certain points.
That false sense of safety led some migrants to underestimate the risks. Several crossing attempts ended in tragedy.
Spanish media and social media posts have claimed that more people died in Ceuta. The Interior Ministry said it is still checking those reports with Spanish authorities.
“Moroccan authorities continue, through official channels of cooperation and coordination with their Spanish counterparts, to verify the accuracy of this information, the actual number of people concerned, as well as their identities and nationalities, in order to complete the necessary legal, administrative and humanitarian procedures,” the ministry said.
