JAKARTA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The death toll rose to three with nine others injured as a ship caught fire in Karimun district of Indonesia's Kepulauan Riau province on Wednesday, a senior disaster official said.

The inferno happened when Ro-Ro KMP Sembilang ship was being repaired in a shipyard operated by PT Karimun Marine Shipyard, said head of emergency unit of the provincial disaster management agency Hardin Nafii.

"Two more bodies were recovered inside the ship after the fire was extinguished, bringing the total casualty to three," he told Xinhua via phone from Kepulauan Riau province.

The official said the fire was triggered after sparks, resulted from welding activities on the deck of the ship, reached tinner (liquid containing oil) there.

All the victims were rushed to two nearby hospitals. Four out the nine wounded were in critical condition and were receiving treatment in intensive care units, Hardin said.

The total number of the people inside the ship remained unknown.