Northern Territory Police have rescued two men after they became stranded, following mechanical failure on their boat last night near Elcho Island.

At around 7:30pm, one of the men reported a problem on board the vessel. The Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre was able to pinpoint their location and dispatch local police.

A marine patrol was launched from Galiwinku, and the two men were found safe and well at around 12:20am, after paddling inland to Howard Island, where they had lit a fire to signal the passing police vessel.

Superintendent Brendan Muldoon said, “I would like to praise the efforts of the police members involved in this search. Being able to locate both men safely is a fantastic result. In the Top End signal fires can assist greatly in remote marine rescues.”