At least 11 workers were killed after a coal mine collapsed on Saturday in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province, a local official said.

"The ill-fated workers were killed at around 06:00 a.m. local time Saturday when a coal mine collapsed in Chinarak village of Nahrin district," administration chief of the district Fazul Rahman told Xinhua.

It was believed that 11 people, whose bodies were retrieved, were working at the site, he said.

"But rescuers including police forces are still searching to check if any workers were missing in the incident," Rahman added.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way but it is believed the workers from the nearby village were working illegally in the site.

The Afghan government has recently closed down several coal mines in fears of collapsing in northern Afghanistan.

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