Three Mexican fishermen claiming to have been lost at sea for nearly a year have been rescued after drifting more than 8,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean.

The fishermen set off from the town of San Blas on Mexico's western coast last October for two weeks of shark fishing. Their ordeal began when both motors on their eight-meter long boat broke down, leaving them vulnerable to strong trade winds and ocean currents.

In a telephone interview with a Mexican television network, one of the men says they survived on rain water, sea birds and fish - sometimes going for as many as 15 days without eating.

A fishing boat which rescued the trio near the Marshall Islands August 9. The trio will arrive in the islands' capital Majuro in 10 to 14 days.