Criminal Probe Launched As Three Journalists Go Missing After Boat Accident In Siberian River

The Siberian River Ob'
(Photo by www.total-eclipse-2008.com)

July 5, 2009

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, RIA Novosti reports.

There were nine people onboard, including three crewmen and six participants in the television and radio expedition “The Yamal Parallel”, a source at the Russian Emergencies Ministry branch for the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District told Itar-Tass on Sunday.

Due to strong winds late on Saturday, the boat with three crew members and six journalists on board capsized, 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.

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

According to ITAR TASS, a regional emergency centre continues searching for the three missing people despite unfavorable weather conditions.

Source: MosNews.com