Police have rescued eight fishermen who miraculously survived 18 days in the Indian Ocean along the Kenyan coast.

The eight were spotted and rescued by marine police on patrol on Christmas Day.

“Their boat was taken to the deep waters and capsized by strong winds and they have been in the ocean,” said Malindi Sub County Police Commander Vitalis Otieno who confirmed the incident.

They had been reported missing at Ziwayu beach, on the north coast and were using an Alhafidh Fibre 15HP boat. Upon their rescue, the eight were rushed to Malindi Sub County Hospital for a medical check-up.

Otieno said the eight, whose names were not immediately available, have since been discharged.

“The actual date of their disappearance was not reported to us but friends and relatives say they went in their normal fishing expedition but failed to return on December 8,” he told Xinhua on Wednesday.

A citizen-run rescue organization dubbed Coast Sea Survival team officially known as Captain Shallo confirmed that they received the missing alert on the said date.

“One of the survivors is a close relative of my wife. We have been following their disappearance until their rescue today,” he said.

Other reports indicate the eight survived on raw fish and other sea creatures. It is not uncommon for fishermen to drown in the ocean waters in Kenya’s coast where the economy relies predominantly on fishing and tourism.