MADRID, Spain -- Officials say around 1,000 migrants of sub-Saharan origin attempted to storm Spain's three-tier barbed-wire border fence separating its North African enclave of Melilla from Morocco, but failed in their bid to enter Europe.
A regional government statement said fewer than 10 persons managed to overcome the first barrier in Saturday's charge. They were taken away by Moroccan police.
The statement says Spain's border guards detected the charge in an area known as "Villa Pilar" and deployed a helicopter to oversee operations.
Spain and Morocco stepped up border vigilance in February after 15 migrants drowned trying to reach Ceuta. The border was recently strengthened with a new type of mesh barrier.
