Members of the Russian Emergencies Ministry take part in a rescue operation following a blast on an oil tanker in the port of Makhachkala, Russia June 11, 2019. (REUTERS PHOTO)

MOSCOW, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from an explosion on board an oil tanker in the Russian Caspian port of Makhachkala rose to three, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said Tuesday.

The body of the third victim was extracted from the vessel, according to a statement by the ministry's local division.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Investigative Committee said that two people were killed by an explosion in the engine room of the tanker anchored at one of the port's berths.

The area of the fire caused by the explosion was 600 square meters and it had been completely put off, the ministry said.

It also said 60 people and 16 pieces of equipment were involved in combatting the fire.

The committee said it had opened a criminal case over the deaths and that investigators and criminologists are working on the scene.