The South Korean military's sixth day's underwater search operations for 46 missing sailors of a sunken naval vessel were hampered on Wednesday due to inclement weather.

The operations had to be temporarily suspended as the area near the site of the incident saw rain, strong waves and wind, officials were quoted by local media as saying. But they pledged that divers would resume their work when the weather improved.

The divers had struggled with unfavorable meteorological and hydrological conditions to gain access to the wrecked vessel that had been torn into two due to an unexplained explosion Friday night, with one of them died on Tuesday after fell unconscious due to the strong underwater pressure and currents, and two others remain hospitalized.

The military originally planned to drill holes on the hull of the vessel to enter the cabins, but later decided to create safe access, as drilling holes could cause electrical leakage from the ship's weapon system, and it will take more than one week.

The military divers have managed to find exits at the front and the stern of the ship, officials said, but it still need some time to make a safe passage for searchers to go through it.

According to local media, a 2,000-ton marine crane and a 3,000- ton barge has set out for the scene and are expected to arrive within this week.

Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told reporters that the salvage work will start next week, coinciding with the search and rescue operations.

Meanwhile, a 60-member fact-finding team consists of civilian and military experts will be sent to the scene on Thursday to investigate the cause of the incident.

It is believed that the incident is one of the biggest disasters in the country's naval history that left a 1,200-ton warship torn apart and submerged, while 46 out of 104 crew members are still missing despite continued search and rescue operations.

The country's top three broadcasts KBS, SBS and MBC decided to cancel weekend's entertainment programs.