Two crew members have died on board a Dutch-registered cruise ship while it was anchored in the Bahamas.

Holland America Line confirmed the two men were victims of an “incident” in the engine room of the Nieuw Amsterdam ship on Friday evening near Half Moon Cay, a small island owned by the company.

Local media reported that an explosion happened in a steam turbine, causing the engine room to fill rapidly with steam. Three other crew members managed to escape before the watertight security door closed automatically as part of the emergency procedure.

Two investigators from the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) have travelled to the Caribbean region to examine the ship and report on the incident, as is required under international regulations.

“The safety board wants to establish in its investigation exactly what happened and what lessons can be learned from the accident,” the board said in a statement.

The Bahamas Maritime Authority has also launched an investigation. Holland America Line said it will co-operate fully with all inquiries.

The company said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths of the two men, but did not provide any further details.

The current Nieuw Amsterdam is the fourth ship in Holland America Line’s fleet to bear the name. It set off from Fort Lauderdale on March 16 for a seven-night cruise.