Thirty-two people Wednesday gathered in front of the Russian embassy in Beijing, demanding compensation for the victims of the cargo ship that sank in Russia's far east waters last month.

A Sierra Leone-flagged vessel named "New Star" sank off Russia's far-east port of Vladivostok on Feb. 15 after coming under fire from Russian coast guard vessels. Seven Chinese crew members are still missing.

The 32 people, all from east China's Shandong Province, are relatives of the victims, according to police.

The crowd was persuaded by police to leave the embassy shortly after they arrived at around 8:45 a.m., a police spokesperson said.

An official at the Russian embassy said they were aware of the gathering, but there were no official comments for it.

(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2009)