Thousands of migrants gathered overnight in the Moroccan border town of Fnideq in another attempt to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, despite a reinforced security deployment that prevented most from crossing.

Spanish state broadcaster TVE reported that between 2,000 and 3,000 migrants entered Ceuta on Thursday. Residents of Fnideq said most of those who made it across appeared to have crossed before midday, before security measures were further tightened.

Ceuta, along with the nearby Spanish autonomous city of Melilla in northern Morocco, forms the European Union's only land border with Africa. Both enclaves have long been flashpoints for migration, with periodic surges of people attempting to reach Europe.

Spain sends military, police reinforcements

Spain sent military and police reinforcements to Ceuta after the surge, while authorities in the enclave said nine bodies had been recovered.

Although the border crossing appeared blocked, groups of migrants moved along the coast seeking routes around the fence, and some prepared to swim. "I was late," said Brahim, 32, who gave only one name. He said he had arrived from Tangier hoping to cross through the gate but found it effectively shut.

Among those hoping to enter the enclave of 85,000 people were women and children from Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa.

Moroccan authorities deployed water cannon trucks and reinforced security at the border crossing, repeatedly pushing back migrants attempting to approach.

Nearby stood the charred remains of a bus and seven vehicles left behind after clashes erupted as authorities sought to stop the crowds, according to Reuters witnesses.

Caught in a stampede

Another migrant said he had been caught in a stampede during an attempted crossing.

"I feared for my life," said the migrant, who declined to give his name, describing chaotic scenes of people pushing and trampling one another along a narrow coastal route.

Traffic clogged roads into Fnideq as would-be migrants, including minors, continued to arrive. Some walked along the highway into the city late into the night, while others took mountain paths to avoid checkpoints.

Security forces repeatedly turned back groups attempting to storm the crossing throughout the night, while migrants regrouped on roads, hillsides and open spaces across the city.

Spain's Socialist government has taken a more migrant-friendly approach than many of its European counterparts and recently launched a program to grant legal status to about 500,000 undocumented migrants, prompting roughly twice that number of applications.

Early Friday, Fatima Mahli, 23, sat with her two daughters on a patch of grass beside the road leading to the border crossing.

The resident of the northern Moroccan city of Tetouan said her husband had left before dawn to try to swim to Ceuta.

"I thought I could cross on foot through the border, but we are stuck here, unable to go back home," she said.

"I was hoping to cross as a family, but my husband woke up early and went first, swimming."