NEW DELHI: At least 55 miners were feared dead in a fire at a

state-owned coal mine in eastern India, officials said yesterday. They

said rescue efforts were hampered by strong winds blowing into the

Newkenda Coal Mines, about 155 miles north of Calcutta.

''We are hoping for a miracle,'' N. Sar, chairman of the mine's

operating company Eastern Coalfields, told Reuters. ''But it looks grim

at the moment.'' Sar said the miners were trapped about 400ft from the

mine's entrance by the fire, which started on Tuesday about 195ft from

the surface.