Story highlights Up to 122 people were believed to have been on the vessel

Dozens of people have been rescued

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) Authorities are attempting to rescue more than 100 people who were aboard a ship caught in rough seas off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

As of Monday, 45 people had been recovered -- though had three died -- according to Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency.

Up to 122 people were believed to have been on the vessel, the agency said.

After initial reports the vessel may have capsized, authorities battled huge waves Sunday attempting the rescue operation on the ship, which was about 12 miles from Siwa, a police spokesman said.

The boat was attempting to make the crossing from Kolaka to Siwa when it got caught in the storm Saturday.

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