More than a dozen rescue and charity groups used excavation machinery to recover bodies Monday after a massive blast from stored mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar.
The explosion occurred at midday Sunday in Kaungtup village, Namhkam township in Shan state near the Chinese border.
The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, the ethnic rebel group that controls the area, said in a statement Monday evening that the death toll from the blast has reached 43, including seven children.
The group said 112 people, including 25 children, were injured, with 37 in critical condition, raising concerns that the number of fatalities could increase.
An investigation into the specific cause of the explosion is underway, the TNLA said.
The incident has cast a spotlight on Myanmar's lucrative but largely unregulated mineral industry and Chinese investment in the country's extractive industries.
