Death toll rises from Albania blasts

(CNN) -- The death toll rose to nine Sunday in the aftermath of a series of blasts at an Albanian army depot, officials said.

Five bodies were found after the explosions on Saturday, and four others on Sunday, said Gent Strazimiri, deputy interior minister. The latest body was found about noon under the rubble of a destroyed home near the army warehouse where the blasts took place, Strazimiri said.

The explosions at the depot, near the capital city of Tirana, on Saturday also injured 243.

Government officials have not yet determined the cause of the blasts but think they were not intentional.

The explosions, which started at about noon, occurred as workers were trying to dismantle a stockpile of munitions, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said on his Web site. Watch a report on the death toll »

According to Albanian officials, the program to dismantle the munitions is being overseen by an American company based in South Carolina called Southern Ammunition, and is funded by a $30 million grant from the U.S. government.

Southern Ammunition did not immediately return calls from CNN.

The size of the stockpile is unclear, but government officials said about 6,000 metric tons of munitions already have been deactivated. E-mail to a friend

Journalist Altin Raxhimi in Tirana contributed to this report