( CNN ) -- Two crew members have died after an engine room fire on a Norwegian cruise ship , Norwegian police confirmed Thursday . Nine people have been taken to the hospital , a spokeswoman for Sunnmore police district told CNN . There were 55 crew on board the ship , MS Nordlys . All 207 passengers who were aboard the ship have been safely evacuated and taken to a hotel in the town of Alesund , operator Hurtigruten ASA said . They are of various nationalities . Two of the crew members are seriously injured , Borghild Eldoen , a spokeswoman for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centers for southern Norway , told CNN . One has been taken to a specialist burns hospital in Bergen , Norway 's second city . She said police suspected an explosion had occurred in the engine room . The fire is now under control but firefighters are battling to stabilize the multi-deck ship , which is taking on water , with the use of pumps , Eldoen said . Everybody on board has now been accounted for and no one is believed missing , she added . The cruise ship was operating on a popular tourist route from Bergen , to the small town of Kirkenes in the country 's far northeast when the fire broke out , forcing the vessel to stop at Alesund , CNN affiliate TV2 reported . Alesund , a town of some 40,000 people surrounded by fjords , is 226 kilometers ( 147 miles ) north of Bergen . The cause of the fire is under investigation . Hurtigruten staff in Alesund are booking guests on to alternative vessels or making arrangements for them to travel home , the company said . The 400 foot-long Nordlys , built in 1994 , has 475 berths for passengers and can carry 45 cars . CNN 's Laura Smith-Spark , Laura Perez Maestro , David Wilkinson , James Partington , and Stefan Simons contributed to this report .
NEW : Police suspect there was an explosion in the engine room . NEW : Firefighters are battling to stabilize the damaged ship , which is taking on water . Two people have died after a fire on the cruise ship , Norwegian police confirm . Nine more people have been taken to the hospital , police say .