MILAN — Three young sisters drowned when the rubber boat carrying them and dozens of other migrants capsized during the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy, a German sea rescue group said Sunday.

RESQSHIP said the bodies of the girls, aged 9, 11 and 17, were found inside the “dangerously overcrowded” boat, which had been battered by waves up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) before rescuers arrived.

Among the 65 people saved by the charity’s vessel Nadir were three pregnant women, several children, and a seven-month-old baby.

One person fell overboard earlier in the voyage and remains missing, RESQSHIP added.

The overcrowded rubber boat had departed from Zuwara, Libya, overnight Friday. RESQSHIP said it was alerted by Alarm Phone, a hotline for migrants in distress, and intercepted the vessel on Saturday.

Italy’s coast guard evacuated 14 people — those in need of medical attention and their relatives — to the island of Lampedusa.

The Nadir later brought the remaining survivors and the three bodies ashore. — Agencies