NOUAKCHOTT, Sept 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Mauritania's authorities have detained a Spaniard and a Russian over a collision between two fishing boats off the coast of the west African country, sources told AFP on Sunday.

Five Mauritanians have gone missing after the "Tafra 3" sank following Friday's crash with the Gambian-flagged "Grey Whale".

The pair in custody were both captains of the "Tafra 3", which is owned by a Mauritanian shipowner, a source in the Mauritanian merchant navy told AFP on Sunday.

They were being held in the port of Nouadhibou as part of the investigation into the collision, a source in the western town's gendarmerie told AFP.

Three Spaniards, including two officers and an engineer, were among the some 20 people rescued in the wake of the accident.