(Image Credit: ABC)

Turkish authorities are investigating the deaths of two people after their apparent exposure to toxic gases as they dismantled a cruise ship that was among those used on the ABC television show "The Love Boat."

The workers were apparently killed by toxic gas this weekend while trying to pump water out of the ship's flooded engine room at a scrap yard in Izmir, Turkey, Hurriyet Daily News reported, while several others were treated at hospitals for smoke poisoning.

The ship, which was previously known as the Pacific Princess, arrived in Turkey Saturday after spending years in the Italian port of Genoa, according to media reports.

The ship served as a backdrop for the iconic ABC television series, which aired from 1977 to 1986.

A rotating cast of characters, including some of Hollywood's biggest stars, boarded the "Love Boat" each week, finding romance and adventure on the high seas.

The dismantling of the ship is reportedly expected to take seven to eight months.