Over 500 sub-Saharan migrants on Friday entered Spain's Ceuta city after breaching the border fence with Morocco, the Spanish police said.

The mass crossing, according to the police, took place at about 5 a.m., and was spread across four different points along the border fence, Efe news reported.

About 350 received medical assistance for injuries sustained during the mass attempt after jumping the fence, which is about six metres high.

Those who were not treated waited at a temporary migrant centre, which has a capacity for 512 people and is usually full.
 

The last attempt to enter Spanish territory by such a large group was on December 9, when some 438 sub-Saharan migrants -- of 800 who tried -- managed to enter Ceuta.

According to information released by the European border agency Frontex, about 1,000 migrants reached the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla in 2016, a lower number than previous years.