JINAN - The 20 Democratic People`s Republic of Korea (DPRK) sailors who were rescued by Chinese maritime police after their ship sank in strong winds left for home on Thursday.

DPRK sailors wave hands at Weihai port, East China`s Shandong Province, November 1, 2007. [Xinhua]

The sailors took a passenger ship at 9:30 p.m. at Weihai port in East China`s Shandong Province and headed for Dalian port in northeast China`s Liaoning Province, where they will go home by train.

The accident occurred around 4:00 p.m. Sunday when strong winds were sweeping the sea area and a DPRK registered cargo ship capsized four nautical miles from the shore between Yantai and Weihai in Shandong.

At 3 a.m. Monday, 21 of the total of 23 crew on aboard were rescued. One of them died on the way to hospital.

The rescue operation is still going on for the two missing sailors.

The provincial maritime bureau estimated about 1,500 Chinese civilians and soldiers were mobilized in the rescue effort.