The men - an Australian, a Japanese and a Russian - are running low on food, and the authorities are considering dropping food and fuel if a helicopter rescue proves impossible.

The three became stranded in mid-October while filming wildlife more than 100km from the only settlement on Wrangel Island - also known as Vrangelya Island.

Officials said poor weather thwarted a rescue effort on Monday, but helicopters were standing by in northern Siberia for another attempt on Tuesday.

"We're just looking at it on a day-by-day basis right now," a spokesman for the Australian Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying.

Extreme conditions

Attempts last week to reach the film crew by helicopter and snowmobile were abandoned because of extreme conditions - temperatures have fallen below minus 20C.

Efforts have also been hampered by the almost continuous Arctic night at this time of year.

Rebecca Scott, partner of one of the men, Australian filmmaker Rory McGuiness, told an Australian radio station that she had been in contact with the group by satellite telephone.

She said that the next few days were "probably their last window of enough light and weather for a chopper to be able to get in and pick them up".