BEIJING - China's 26 leading excavator makers sold a total of 126,941 excavators in the first quarter, surging 85 percent year-on-year, data from the China Construction Machinery Association showed.

In breakdown, 113,565 excavators were sold in the domestic market, jumping 85.3 percent year-on-year, while exports of the equipment rose 81.9 percent to 13,376.

In March alone, excavator sales came in at 79,035 units, up 60 percent from the same period last year.

Sales of digging machines are an important indicator of the vitality of an economy as demand is usually backed by growth in mining and infrastructure development.