YEKATERINBURG, July 5 (RIA Novosti) - Strong winds and heavy rain are holding up the search for three journalists who went missing when their boat capsized in northwest Siberia, rescuers said on Sunday.

The motorboat capsized on the Ob River 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.

"The search is being complicated by the weather conditions - strong winds and rain," Urals emergencies ministry department spokesman Alexander Sorokaletovskikh told RIA Novosti.

The depth of the river, of up to 27 meters, and the strong current, also making the work difficult.

The spokesman said the expedition members, who were collecting information on the lives of fishermen on the Yamal peninsula for the Yamal Region TV and Radio Broadcasting Company, should have informed officials before embarking on such a dangerous trip.

"They sailed for a whole week, but did not inform us of this," he said.

Russia top investigators said on Sunday they had opened a criminal probe into the sinking of the motorboat on charges of breaching sailing safety regulations.