The Mexican navy rescued eight Americans who were drifting in the Pacific on board a pleasure boat after one of its engines caught fire, stranding them eight miles off Cabo San Lucas, officials said.

Navy personnel set sail from the Los Cabos Search and Rescue Naval Station after receiving a call from the port authority alerting them of the fire on board the Fish Sqwisher, the navy said in a communique Tuesday.

When the Mexican vessel arrived at the scene, 'the fire in the boat's propulsion engine had already been put out', and so they began evacuating the passengers on the craft, all of whom were 'in good health', the statement said.

The boat and its crew and passengers were taken to Cabo San Lucas, a resort town at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the Mexican navy said.

Baja California Sur is one of the preferred destinations for US tourists in Mexico and currently there are thousands of visitors there enjoying US universities' spring break.