Kohima | At least six workers were charred to death and four critically injured in a fire accident inside an illegal coal mine in Nagaland's Wokha district, an official said.

The incident took place at Richanyan village under Bhandari sub-division of Wokha district around 1pm on January 25, Bhandari MLA Achumbemo Kikon told PTI here on Friday.

Kikon, who is in Bhandari to take stock of the situation, said the workers, all from Assam, were engaged in digging inside the illegal rat-hole mine when there was a fire killing six of them and critically injuring four others.

The injured were rushed to a hospital in Dimapur, an official said.

Expressing concern on such illegal coal mines in Bhandari, the MLA urged the state department to take stringent steps to stop such mines.