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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An explosion near the heavily fortified border between South Korea and North Korea injured three South Korean military officers on Monday, reported the Defense Ministry. The incident took place during an unspecified operation in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a buffer zone separating the two nations. The cause of the explosion remains unclear.

Two of the injured officers were airlifted to a military hospital near Seoul, while the third was transported by land before being airlifted. South Korean officials are investigating the possibility that the explosion may have been caused by a land mine planted by North Korea, which has increased its fortifications along the border in recent months.

The DMZ, a 248-kilometer-long and 4-kilometer-wide area, is one of the most heavily armed borders in the world, with an estimated 2 million mines and other defensive structures. Concerns are growing in South Korea about increased activity by North Korean soldiers near the border as tensions between the two nations continue to escalate.