Three Honduran fishermen who had been lost at sea for 6 days, were rescued by local fishermen early this morning. 7News was at the Coast Guard Headquarters when they were brought in - and they told us how they survived with little water and no food:

Jules Vasquez reporting
The men and their vessel were found near Columbus Caye, 32 miles southeast of Belize City. They had been drifting for 6 days.

Due to rough seas the coast Guard took about 4 hours to bring them in - the vessel listing to and fro in the swells, additionally slowed because they had to haul in the men's vessel, a 34 footer called Japhet.

For the sea-weary passengers, 19 year old Don Delbert, 17 year old Brian Herrera and 26 year old Danly Kelly they seemed relaxed, relieved and tired:

Don Dilbert, Lost at Sea 6 Days
"Not frighten, but weak."

Jules Vasquez
"On Tuesday you all left out right and then what happened after that?"

Danly Kelly, Lost at Sea 6 Days
"We drifted and all we had all day was water from Tuesday until last night at 12pm when some fishermen pick us up they gave us some food. We were almost a week without eating."

Jules Vasquez
"How did you feel when you finally saw someone who would save you all?"

Danly Kelly, Lost at Sea 6 Days
"We felt happy, we had hope then."

Jules Vasquez
"Were you all ever concern that you might be forever lost at sea?"

Danly Kelly, Lost at Sea 6 Days
"No, we had our GPS and I was checking where we were floating to."

Jules Vasquez
"So you were confident that eventually with the winds the way they were, you all would end up on the coast of Belize?"

Danly Kelly, Lost at Sea 6 Days
"Yes sir. I was hoping it didn't change, it didn't blow any harder to take us up to the northeast. That's all I was praying for."

After a quick debriefing by the coast guard…they had family with roots in the Bay Islands waiting for them here. That was the end of a recovery mission that started at 7:00 this morning:

Lt. Greg Soberanis, Operations Office, BCG
"Coast guard headquarters received a phone call this morning from one Mr. Jaime Vivas, a local fisherman that a vessel had drifted into their vessel at about 1:30 this morning. Aboard their vessel was 3 Honduran nationals. After he reported this to us and he gave us their names, we then realized these three Honduran nationals were three individual who were reported missing at sea from the 6th of May 2014."

Kelly says a fishing trip went awry when their inboard engine failed:

Danly Kelly, Lost at Sea 6 Days
"We were just fishing 8 miles around the island when we had engine problems, we stopped and we checked fuel filter and afterwards we try to start, we couldn't start, the battery went dead."

Lt. Greg Soberanis, Operations Office, BCG
"They were drifting towards the Belize coast. If they were drifting more east then definite would have been into open seas. So it's a very fortunate situation for these gentlemen. Like I said they've been on the sea from the 6th up until now which is like 6 days already."

Six days without food and limited water on the open sea, but for these Bay Islanders still not afraid:

Jules Vasquez
"Are you afraid to go on the sea again?"

Danly Kelly, Lost at Sea 6 Days
"No sir, I'll be back when I get back home."

But they won't be going back on the sea just yet. The men entered Belizean waters without being processed by immigration, so at this time they remain confined to Coast Guard Headquarters. The Immigration Department will be sending someone over to process them. Thereafter the Coast Guard will contact the Honduran Embassy to make arrangement for their return to Guanaja.

The men told us their parents are coming from Honduras by boat to pick them up.

Channel 7