Embattled Spanish PM Sánchez insists no prior warnings before Ceuta crisis - BBC News

Spain's prime minister tells parliament it is absurd to think the government knew and did nothing, after thousands join protests in Spanish cities.

Image source, Olmo Blanco/Getty ImagesImage caption, Pedro Sánchez is under considerable pressure from opposition parties and tens of thousands of Spaniards protested on Wednesday night

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said no-one foresaw the influx of 72,000 migrants in the exclave of Ceuta, as pressure mounts over his handling of the crisis.

"It's absurd to think that the government knew and did nothing," Sánchez told Spain's parliament on Thursday, hours after tens of thousands of people joined protests across the country backed by opposition parties.

Sánchez also maintained there was no evidence Morocco was behind the mass crossing and there had been "close co-ordination" between the two countries.

A Spanish police report has highlighted the "total permissiveness" of Moroccan security forces, although senior officials insist it does not point the finger at Rabat.