Italy suspends Schengen with Spain as Ceuta crisis deepens

Italy said on Friday it had suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain, following the influx of tens of thousands of migrants into Madrid's Ceuta enclave in North Africa. The measure will impact people travelling by plane or boat between the two countries, according to The Guardian's live coverage of the crisis.

The decision came as the European Union faced one of its largest migrant crises in recent years, with about 60,000 people entering the Spanish enclave in a matter of days. France 24 reported that at least 67 people had died during the influx, while The Guardian cited Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez decrying a 'violation of territorial integrity.'

Spain and Morocco reinforced the border fence of the enclave on Friday and appeared to have halted mass crossings, after around 49,000 people breached the frontier, according to Reuters reporting carried by HuffPost. The crisis has caused division within Europe, with Italy's threat to suspend the EU's internal open border scheme now apparently carried out.