MOSCOW, July 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russia top investigators said on Sunday they had opened a criminal probe into the sinking of a motorboat in the Ob River in northwest Siberia, which has left three journalists missing.

The boat, being used by the Yamal-Region TV and Radio Broadcasting Company, capsized due to strong winds late on Saturday with three crewmembers and six journalists on board, some 20 km (12 miles) from the town of Salekhard.

"As a result of the boat's sinking, three employees of the TV and radio company went missing. The other six people who were on board the boat during the incident were taken to the Salekhard hospital, where they received first aid," a spokesman for the Investigative Committee told RIA Novosti.

The journalists were on an expedition to collect information on floods on the Yamal peninsula. According to preliminary information, the captain failed to halt the trip despite receiving a storm warning.

The spokesman said that the criminal proceedings had been launched on charges of breaching sailing safety regulations.