Two sailors died, three were rescued and an additional 15 remain missing after a DPRK-registered (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) cargo ship sank Friday in the Yellow Sea.

The 69-meter-long cargo ship, Kang Bong, sank 120 sea miles east of Lianyungang Port, east China's Jiangsu Province, on early Friday morning after water entered the ship amid strong gales, according to the Rescue and Salvage Center under the Ministry of Transport.

The Rescue and Salvage Center has since dispatched a rescue ship, East China Sea R 111, and two helicopters to rescue the 20 sailors.

By 5 p.m., three sailors had been rescued and two bodies were recovered, said a source with the rescue center.

Gale force winds made the rescue work difficult, which is still continuing, according to the rescue center.