Mombasa-bound ship rescues three stranded Tanzanian fishermen

A Mombasa-bound cargo ship rescued three Tanzanian fishermen who were stranded in the Indian Ocean at Tanagani in Pemba. [Standard,file].

A Mombasa-bound cargo ship on Tuesday, January 17 rescued three Tanzanian fishermen who were stranded in the Indian Ocean at Tanagani in Pemba.

The fishermen had been in the deep seas for days without food or water.

Police in Kenya have since identified the trio as Hafith Abdalla, Musa Silima and Silimani Zidini. All of them are teenagers.

According to police, the fishermen's motorised boat capsized due to a heavy storm.

"The fishermen fought through the storm," Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations said on Twitter.

Authorities said the trio clung on to the capsized boat, with the hope of getting help before it was too late.

After running out of energy, they resigned to floating on the ocean until a cargo ship that was en route to Mombasa cruised near the scene.

The crew of the ship rescued the three with the permission of the Kenya Ports Authority Control Tower, police said.

Plans are underway to repatriate the three fishermen to Tanzania.