A German sea rescue charity reported on Sunday that three young sisters drowned after the rubber boat they were in, along with dozens of migrants, got into difficulty on the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing between Libya and Italy.

RESQSHIP reported that the bodies of three sisters aged 9, 11 and 17 were found in the boat. The vessel was "dangerously crowded" and was buffeted by up to 1.5 metre waves (4.9 feet).

Three pregnant women, three children and a baby aged seven months were among the 65 people saved by the Nadir vessel of the charity. RESQSHIP said in a press release that one person is still missing after falling overboard during the crossing.

The report did not provide any information about the nationality or ethnicity of the girls.

Alarm Phone, a hotline operator for rescue, alerted Nadir to the rubber boat that had left Zuwara, Libya, overnight Friday.

The Italian coastguard evacuated fourteen people, including medical cases and relatives of those patients, on Saturday afternoon. They were taken to Lampedusa in southern Italy where the Nadir arrived with the rest of the survivors and the bodies. (Reporting and editing by Helen Popper; Giulio Pieovaccari)

(source: Reuters)