Sibolga, Indonesia— A commercial fishing boat carrying a crew of six vanished in rough seas off the coast of North Sumatra on Tuesday. The vessel reportedly struck a submerged reef during a sudden squall before taking on water. Three crew members managed to reach the shore on a life raft.

The survivors alerted local authorities shortly after sunrise. They reported that the boat sank in less than ten minutes. The remaining three crew members were last seen clinging to debris before the current separated them from the raft.

Maritime patrol vessels are currently searching the sector. Choppy waters and limited visibility are forcing rescue teams to operate with extreme caution. The area is known for strong rip currents that move rapidly along the coastline.

"The weather turned without any warning," one survivor said from the harbor clinic. "The waves were simply too large for a boat of that size to handle."

Local fishermen have joined the official search effort, utilizing their knowledge of the local tide patterns. They are focusing their search on the inlets south of the reported sinking site. No additional debris has been located as of Tuesday evening.

The harbor master has issued a mandatory stay-at-home order for all small vessels in the region. These weather conditions are expected to persist for another 24 hours. The local government has activated its emergency maritime response protocol.

Friends and family members of the missing crew are waiting at the pier for updates. Hope remains, though the search area continues to expand due to the shifting current. Rescue efforts will intensify at first light on Wednesday.

Communication between the search teams and the regional command center is currently bottlenecked by the extreme weather conditions. The primary task remains the identification of any floating wreckage that could lead the search teams to the missing individuals.