Indonesia ship sinking: Battle to save boat carrying more than 100 people caught in storms off Sulawesi island

There was no immediate estimate of casualties following the incident (not pictured) on Saturday

A search and rescue team looks for victims of a ferry sinking 15 miles from Kolaka, Southeast Sulawesi in 2011 (AFP/Getty Images)

Rescuers were battling to reach a sinking ship with more than 100 passengers off the coast of Indonesia on Saturday.

The passenger boat was carrying 122 people when it was caught in rough seas during its journey from Kolaka, Sulawesi, to another part of the island.

Indonesian website Detik News reported that it was around 12 miles away from its destination of Siwa when it started taking on water.

Roki Asikin, who heads the search and rescue agency in South Sulawesi province, said 14 children were among those on board.

The boat was hit by waves more than 10ft high during stormy weather, causing it to spring a leak, he said.

In the last contact reported, the captain said water was coming on board and they were trying to save the passengers.

Six rescue boats and ships have been sent to the scene but were not expected to arrive until the early hours of Sunday morning (local time) because of the weather conditions.

Additional reporting by AP